In a startling new development in Greenland, NASA has released new satellite footage showing 97% of Greenland's ice sheet melting between July 8 and July 12. The 3 satellites, Oceansat-2, and NASA’s Terra and Aqua, measure different physical properties at different scales and are passing over Greenland at different times.
"The Greenland ice sheet is a vast area with a varied history of change. This event, combined with other natural but uncommon phenomena, such as the large calving event last week on Petermann Glacier, are part of a complex story," said Tom Wagner, NASA's cryosphere program manager in Washington. "Satellite observations are helping us understand how events like these may relate to one another as well as to the broader climate system."
In a normal summer about half of the ice sheet melts, but this year’s accelerated ice melt has climate scientists watching closely. "Ice cores from Summit show that melting events of this type occur about once every 150 years on average. With the last one happening in 1889, this event is right on time," says Lora Koenig, a Goddard glaciologist and a member of the research team analyzing the satellite data. "But if we continue to observe melting events like this in upcoming years, it will be worrisome."
The unprecedented mid-July melting of Greenland's ice sheet has caused rivers to flood and has also threatened a number of bridges, said Tom Wagner, NASA’s cryosphere program manager in Washington (The flooding has been captured on a number of YouTube videos – see video)
Although the ice melt cannot be solely attributed to global warming according said Wagner, "warming is causing the loss of ice all over Greenland, and the Greenland ice sheet is shrinking."
According to NASA, this level of melting has not been seen in 123 years. Researchers have not yet determined whether this extensive melt event will affect the overall volume of ice loss this summer and contribute to sea level rise.
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