Extreme Heat Accelerates Ice Loss and Drives Intense Melting From the Greenland Ice Sheet

News Briefing: 20 July 2022

Temperatures in northern Greenland are running 5-7°C (10°F) warmer than normal for this time of year; and last week, three consecutive days of extremely high temperatures triggered rapid melting in this region, which normally stays below freezing even in much of the summer. Between July 15 and 17, the Greenland Ice Sheet released six billion gallons of meltwater into the ocean, enough to fill 7.2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools or cover the entire state of West Virginia with a foot of water. Greenland is on pace to lose more ice this century than in any other 100-year period over the last 12,000 years. As global temperatures rise, rapid ice loss and associated sea-level rise from Greenland pose an imminent threat to coastal communities across the world. By the end of the century, Arctic meltwater may contribute to more than one meter of global sea-level rise, jeopardizing millions of people who live in low-lying regions.

http://nsidc.org/greenland-today/

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/greenland-ice-sheet-melting-how-much-b2131500.html