Greenland's Ice Feels the Heat in Record-Setting 2010

Greenland's massive ice sheet experienced record surface melting and runoff last year, according to research released today. Unusually warm conditions in much of the country helped extend the annual melting season by up to 50 days longer in 2010 than the average observed between 1979 and 2009, researchers found.

Higher than normal surface temperatures occurring not just in the summer, but also in the spring and late winter, caused the melting season to kick off early and take longer to end. Because of the extension of melting days, the country experienced record surface ice melt, record water runoff from the ice sheet and a record number of days of bare ice without snow.

Source:New York Times