Greenland Ice Sheet Archives - State of the Planet

Greenland ice sheet. Photo: Kevin Krajick/Earth Institute

Closing Out Climate Week: Why 2 Degrees is Too High for the Cryosphere

Experts say that snow and ice loss will create conditions beyond the limits of adaptation for billions of people if climate warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius.

by |November 1, 2023

New Study Pins Time of Greenland’s Last Melting to Some 400,000 Years Ago

A study adds evidence that the Greenland Ice Sheet will be vulnerable to human-induced climate change in coming centuries.

by |July 20, 2023

Research Links Climate Change to Lazier Jet Stream, Leading to Extreme Weather

A new study links climate change to increasing stalling of the jet stream, but also highlights uncertainties in climate models.

by |July 14, 2023

How Close Are We to Climate Tipping Points?

Will overshooting 1.5°C of warming push us over climate tipping points, triggering irreversible and abrupt changes?

by |November 11, 2021
Misty blue mountains stand in the background of a bright silver river cutting through dark rocks.

As the Greenland Ice Sheet Retreats, Mercury is Being Released From the Bedrock Below

Scientists have found that Greenland’s bedrock is rich with mercury in some areas — and as the ice sheet rapidly melts, that mercury is being released into local waters.

by |July 15, 2021

Fossil Plants at Bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet Warn of Future Melting

The discovery of fossil plants below a mile of Greenland ice indicates that the ice sheet completely melted in the past, and suggests it could rapidly do so again.

by |March 15, 2021

Scientists Have Discovered an Ancient Lake Bed Deep Beneath the Greenland Ice

Using radar and other techniques, researchers have mapped out the sediments left by a lake that apparently existed before Greenland was glaciated. Next step: drilling through the ice to see what they contain.

by |November 10, 2020

Scientists Harness Satellites to Track Algae Growth on Greenland Ice Sheet

To measure algal blooms across large regions of the Greenland ice, and understand their effects on melting over time, scientists are turning to space.

by |October 15, 2020

Greenland on Track to Lose Ice Faster Than in Any Century Over the Last 12,000 Years

If human societies don’t sharply curb emissions of greenhouse gases, Greenland’s rate of ice loss this century is likely to greatly outpace that of any century since shortly after the end of the last ice age, a new study concludes.

by |September 30, 2020

Greenland Ice Sheet Reached Tipping Point 20 Years Ago, New Study Finds

The massive ice sheet is now locked into a certain amount of decline. But reducing emissions remains critical to preventing catastrophic loss of the entire ice sheet.

by |September 2, 2020