Temperatures of more than 20 degrees, with local records, recorded in the North ... The heat wave that Greenland is currently undergoing caused, this week, an episode of "massive" melting.

At the small Nerlerit Inaat airport (North-East), the mercury reached 23.4 degrees on Thursday, the highest level measured since the weather station's readings began and warmer than the maximum temperature recorded in Denmark that day. , according to the Danish meteorological institute DMI.

And this "heat wave" therefore resulted in an accelerated rate of melting of the ice sheet. Since Wednesday, the ice cap that covers the vast arctic territory has melted about 8 billion tonnes every day, double the average rate during the summer period, according to data from the Polar Portal, a modeling tool managed by Danish research institutes.

By way of comparison, the immense volume of melted water released daily in recent days - 8,000 billion liters of fresh water - "would be enough to cover the entire surface of Florida with five centimeters of water," underlines Polar Portal.

Greenland's daily melting record, which dates from the summer of 2019, has not been broken, but the part of Greenlandic territory where the ice has melted is larger than two years ago, the site said. arctic surveillance.

A rise in the level of the oceans to the height of 10 to 18 centimeters by 2100

Second ice cap after Antarctica, with an area of ​​nearly 1.8 million square kilometers, the ice sheet covering Greenland is of concern to scientists, as Arctic warming is three times faster than elsewhere in the world.

Its decline, which began several decades ago, has accelerated since 1990 and continues to get carried away.

Our climate dossier

According to a European study published in January, the melting of the Greenland icecap should contribute to the general rise in the level of the oceans to the height of 10 to 18 centimeters by 2100, or 60% faster than the previous estimate.

Due to a relatively cool start to summer with snow and rain, the ice cap's decline in 2021 is still within the historical average for the time being, according to Polar Portal.

The melting period extends from June to early September.

Planet

Climate change: Why the next IPCC report, published on August 9, is eagerly awaited

Planet

Global warming: Two cities have become uninhabitable because of the heat

  • Video

  • Global warming

  • Planet

  • Weather

  • IPCC

  • Greenland