Greenland Had Massive Ice Melting in 2019 Due to Global Warming

Greenland lost over 580 billion tons of ice in 2019 due to atypical high temperatures, which provoked an irregular sea-level increase according to a study published in Communications Earth & Environment. 

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"More and more often, we have stable [atmospheric] high-pressure systems over the ice sheet, which favor the influx of warmer air from the midlatitudes, one of the conditions promoting melt," said Alfred Wegener Institute's geoscientist and study lead author Ingo Sasgen.

The stability of low temperatures in 2017 and 2018 permitted a regular melting and ice restoration. Snowfall reduced below the average in 2019, affecting the ice-mass balance.

Greenland lost 586 ice billion tons last year, releasing 532 trillion liters of water to the ocean. The ice loss exceeds the average of 259 billion tons, stipulated in 2003.

The massive melting represents an increase of 1.5 millimeters to global sea levels, which leads to coastal flooding and the loss of the beachfront. It can also cause the temperature to unbalance in the oceans, affecting sea life. 
 
The findings also enlighten scientists about the Greenland blocking, a phenomenon which explains how warm air from North America, caused by high pressure over Canada, produces more Greenland ice melting.

"Not only is the Greenland ice sheet melting, but it's melting at a faster and faster pace," Sasgen added.