Greenland, which is located in between North America and Europe in the northern Atlantic Ocean is covered with snow all year round. From June through August the island experiences a net loss in ice as warmer temperatures melt glacier snow/ice into the North Atlantic Ocean.
This average melt season has been expanded lately as the melt days occur earlier in the year and large melt events are becoming more regular. On June 13, melting exceeded 4 trillion pounds, which is very unusual for this early in the summer. Typically, the largest melt events happen in July and they do not reach this magnitude.
Melting in Greenland this season began early and strong. This is because there has been a persistent high-pressure ridge along eastern Greenland. This high-pressure ridge is the reason for warm central Atlantic air masses around Greenland and the clear, sunny skies.
The high-pressure front that caused an early season heat wave in the United States, specifically in the southeastern area, has now made its way to Greenland. These two high-pressure systems combined have led to warm and sunny conditions in Greenland which is unusual and high melting.
As the ice in Greenland continues to melt it perpetuates a positive feedback loop. Ice has a high albedo which means it reflects most of the sun's solar radiation and with heat. It is like walking down the road barefoot on a hot summer day. The black asphalt hotter than the white concrete sidewalk.
This is because of the difference in how much solar radiation white versus black reflects. As Greenland melts more of its ice, the surface is changed from a high albedo white to darker colors. This causes more melting and it adds to the positive feedback loop.
In 2012, a similar scenario happened, where a persistent high-pressure system sat over Greenland for much of the summer. This causes record-breaking melting in 2012 across Greenland and at one point 97% of the entire island's ice sheet was melting.
The early and unusually high melting recorded in 2019, along with the similar weather patterns has led meteorologists and climatologists to believe that there will be another summer of melting that will be record-breaking.
All of these records point to another melting season in Greenland and with higher sea levels. Greenland is a contributor to sea level rise, and this is another indication that we are on an overall accelerating and melting trend.
