Extreme Greenland Ice Melt Intensifies with Record Rates Since 1990

Tue, 05 May 2026 01:35:00 +0200

A new study led by the University of Barcelona reveals that Greenland's ice sheet is melting at unprecedented rates, with extreme melt events becoming more frequent, widespread, and intense. Since 1990, the area affected by these extreme events has expanded by approximately 2.8 million square kilometers per decade. Meltwater production has surged from an average of 12.7 gigatons per decade between 1950 and 2023 to 82.4 gigatons per decade since 1990, marking a sixfold increase. Most of the most severe events, including those in 2012, 2019, and 2021, have occurred in recent decades, producing significantly more meltwater than similar past events. The study indicates that rising temperatures are amplifying these events beyond what natural atmospheric circulation alone would cause. Northern Greenland is now a key hotspot for extreme melting, and projections under high-emission scenarios suggest meltwater anomalies could triple by the end of the century. Using a novel classification combin