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Ice Sheets Today
Data images and analyses of polar ice sheet melt conditions
Melt Analyses
Our scientific data analysis articles for the Greenland Ice Sheet melt season are typically published from April 1 to November 1. Antarctic Ice Sheet melt season articles are published from November 1 to April 1. Select an article below to explore ice sheet melt conditions by month and year-to-date.
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![The left plot shows air pressure anomaly (height anomaly of the 500 mbar pressure level, in meters) and the right plot shows air temperature anomaly (in degrees Celsius) for June, July, and August 2016 combined, relative to the 1981 to 2010 average. The left plot shows air pressure anomaly (height anomaly of the 500 mbar pressure level, in meters) and the right plot shows air temperature anomaly (in degrees Celsius) for June, July, and August 2016 combined, relative to the 1981 to 2010 average.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/GrnToday_ASum2016_Fig2_new.png.webp?itok=Vp-v9j89)
Greenland
Melt extent in Greenland was above average in 2016, ranking tenth highest (tied with 2004) in the 38-year satellite record. Melt area in 2016 was slightly greater than in 2015, which ranked twelfth.
![Researchers conducting an aquifer test on the Greenland ice sheet. Researchers conducting an aquifer test on the Greenland ice sheet.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/GrnToday_Aug2016_Fig7.jpg.webp?itok=v2i8PoL7)
Greenland
July 2016 had warm conditions and frequent melting in northern Greenland, similar to 2015 but not as extreme. However, last winter's low snowfall in the south meant that July's near-normal melting and slightly cool weather still produced above average melt water runoff, resulting in mass loss from the ice sheet.
![Figure 3. Top (a) air pressure pattern over Greenland and surrounding regions for July 2015, based on the altitude of the 500 hPa pressure level (high = high pressure). Lower right (b), a map of net runoff scaled by the average variability (i.e., the standard deviation of run-off for the 1981 to 2010 period) of the run-off for that region (e.g., ‘2’ means two standard deviations above average ; -2 means two standard deviations below average). Lower left (c) a series of charts showing the trends since 1950 f Figure 3. Top (a) air pressure pattern over Greenland and surrounding regions for July 2015, based on the altitude of the 500 hPa pressure level (high = high pressure). Lower right (b), a map of net runoff scaled by the average variability (i.e., the standard deviation of run-off for the 1981 to 2010 period) of the run-off for that region (e.g., ‘2’ means two standard deviations above average ; -2 means two standard deviations below average). Lower left (c) a series of charts showing the trends since 1950 f](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/GT_Jun16_Fig3_adj.png.webp?itok=pJCkTZhm)
Greenland
Greenland’s 2016 melt season started fast. It maintained a brisk pace with three extreme spikes in areas of melt through June 19. On June 9, Nuuk, the capital, reached the warmest temperature ever recorded for the month of June anywhere on the island, 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit).
![Figure 3: The map shows average temperatures for the Northern Hemisphere between January and March 2016 at the 925 millibar level (approximately 2,500 feet altitude). Data are from ESRL NCEP weather reanalysis. Figure 3: The map shows average temperatures for the Northern Hemisphere between January and March 2016 at the 925 millibar level (approximately 2,500 feet altitude). Data are from ESRL NCEP weather reanalysis.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/GT_Apr16_Fig3_1.jpg.webp?itok=TI25O-1T)
Greenland
For six days in early April, unusual weather patterns produced an early season melt event on the Greenland Ice Sheet, covering up to 10 percent of its surface area. Such an event is unusual but not unprecedented
![Figure 3. The top graph shows annual melt extent anomalies (difference from average in thousands of square kilometers) for 1978 to 2015. The bottom graph shows daily growth of melt area for 1978 to 2015, showing the four most recent years as colored lines. Figure 3. The top graph shows annual melt extent anomalies (difference from average in thousands of square kilometers) for 1978 to 2015. The bottom graph shows daily growth of melt area for 1978 to 2015, showing the four most recent years as colored lines.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/GrnMelt_Mote_Fig3_adj.png.webp?itok=TEIl8XiM)
Greenland
Melt extent in Greenland was above average in 2015, ranking 11th highest in the 37 year record from satellite data. Overall, climate patterns favored intense melting in the north and northwestern parts of the ice sheet, and relatively cool conditions in the southeast.
![Figure 4. Left, map of Greenland showing areas mapped by Operation IceBridge as firn aquifer. The blue star is the location of the field expedition study area. Right, NSIDC scientist Dr. Lora Koenig holding a section of ice core, containing both ice and water, used to determine the volume of water in the aquifer. Figure 4. Left, map of Greenland showing areas mapped by Operation IceBridge as firn aquifer. The blue star is the location of the field expedition study area. Right, NSIDC scientist Dr. Lora Koenig holding a section of ice core, containing both ice and water, used to determine the volume of water in the aquifer.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/Fig4_Aquifer.png.webp?itok=tqU-Q4YP)
Greenland
Surface melting was significantly more frequent and more extensive than average on the Greenland Ice Sheet in July, especially around the northwestern coast. July also saw high air pressure over the entire island and warmer-than-average temperatures in the northwest.
![Figure 4. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) true-color Arctic mosaic image for July 7, 2015 shows surface melting on the northwest coast of Greenland as well as areas of surface melt on Arctic sea ice. Figure 4. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) true-color Arctic mosaic image for July 7, 2015 shows surface melting on the northwest coast of Greenland as well as areas of surface melt on Arctic sea ice.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/Fig4_MODIS07July2015_Arctic.png.webp?itok=2WyyN1R_)
Greenland
Warm conditions arrived on the Greenland Ice Sheet in late June, causing a sudden spike in melting that increased in early July and led to a sharp reduction in surface albedo (brightness of the snow). However, as of mid-July surface melt remained less extensive than during 2012, the record melt summer.
![Figure 1: Greenland maps Figure 1: Greenland maps](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/jun-15-2015-Figure1.png.webp?itok=_gg4fcBQ)
Greenland
The Greenland Ice Sheet began 2015 (January 1 to May 31) with cooler-than-average conditions and higher-than-average snowfall accumulation, related to a near-continuous positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index pattern through the period.
![Figure 6b Figure 6b](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/GrnToday_20Jan2015_Fig6b_lakes.gif.webp?itok=UlMKbuBy)
Greenland
Melt extent in Greenland was well above average in 2014, tying for the 7th highest extent in the 35-year satellite record. Overall, climate patterns favored intense west coast and northwest ice sheet melting, with relatively cool conditions in the southeast.
![Figure 4 Figure 4](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/GT_15Aug2014_Fig4.png.webp?itok=7hYIUo18)
Greenland
Melting on the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet in June and July 2014 has been well above the 1981 to 2010 average in most areas, but after a fast start in May, the southern region and the southeastern coast have seen lower-than-average melt.
![Greenland melt maps Greenland melt maps](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/jun-20-2014-GrnToday_Fig1.png.webp?itok=x02goUuF)
Greenland
Surface melting on the Greenland Ice Sheet in May 2014 proceeded quickly, despite cool conditions over wide areas. We continue to explore recent evidence of lower snow reflectivity, and note its likely impact on snow melt during Greenland's summer season.
![Maps and graph Maps and graph](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/may-23-2014-GrnToday_Fig1_15May.png.webp?itok=teK5H6jT)
Greenland
The Greenland Ice Sheet had a far more typical melt extent and intensity in 2013 than in 2012, when summer surface melting set a record, compared to satellite observations since 1978.
![Graph Graph](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/aug-28-2013-Figure4.png.webp?itok=6YaNtU0e)
Greenland
Greenland's surface ice melt season reached a peak in late July, coinciding with a period of very warm weather. Greenland's melt season this year will be closer to average than was 2012, with far less melting in the northern ice sheet and at high elevations.
![maps maps](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/jun-21-2013-Figure6.png.webp?itok=unzeJlCL)
Greenland
Surface melting of the snow and ice of the Greenland Ice Sheet had a slightly late start, but quickly spread over a significant area, extending over more than 20% of the ice sheet in early June and reaching above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) elevation in some areas.
![Map Map](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/mar-18-2013-Figure4.png.webp?itok=LYuYpZxO)
Greenland
The algorithm for the Greenland Ice Sheet Today daily melt extent has been revised to account for unusually warm winter snow layers and residual meltwater deep in the snow. Meltwater from last summer’s intense melt season did not completely re-freeze through at least mid December.
![Melt map Melt map](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/feb-05-2013-greenland-cumulative-1979-2007.png.webp?itok=tTcGyYn5)
Greenland
Greenland's surface melting in 2012 was intense, far in excess of any earlier year in the satellite record since 1979. In July 2012, a very unusual weather event occurred. For a few days, 97% of the entire ice sheet indicated surface melting.
![This aerial photograph shows a meltwater lake on the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet near Illulissat, Greenland. This aerial photograph shows a meltwater lake on the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet near Illulissat, Greenland.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_wwo_desktop/public/images/Other/extreme-ice-survey-MM7246_060718_.35131_1.jpg.webp?itok=UKYDypim)
Greenland
Greenland Ice Sheet Today offers the latest satellite data on surface melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Surface melt on the ice sheet results from daily weather conditions that are driven by air temperatures, winds, and feedback effect from