Greenland's Melting Glaciers

Greenland's melting glaciers were in the news this past summer. In its State of the Climate report for July 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported a near-record low (second only to 2011) in Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent and a new record low for the Greenland ice sheet.

In fact, the July 2012 Arctic sea ice volume was 65% below its maximum value in 1979 (see "On the web"). NOAA's Climatewatch website has a video of compiled satellite images that shows visible melting along the Greenland ice sheet near the Jakobshavn Glacier each August between 2000 and 2011. Additionally, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN IPCC) plots glacial coverage over …