Legion Troll
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Warm conditions rapidly kicked off the melt season this weekend, more than a month-and-a-half ahead of schedule. It has easily set a record for earliest melt season onset.
Melt season kicks off when 10 percent of the ice sheet experiences surface melt. The previous record for earliest start was May 5, 2010.
Last year, a cool spring kept Greenland mostly solid before a summer heat wave led to a rapid meltdown. In July 2012, a record-setting 95 percent of the ice sheet experienced surface melting due to high temperatures.
Temperatures in southwest Greenland set an April record when they reached 64.4°F on Monday. That’s just .4°F off the all-time Greenland high for April. The summit of the ice sheet has also seen record warm temperatures.
The Greenland ice sheet represents one of the most massive stores of ice on the planet. Melting ice is affecting ocean circulation and even the drift of the North Pole.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/greenlands-melt-season-started-nearly-two-months-early-160414.htm