Greenland massive ice sheet melted at a staggering rate 17 times faster than normal during an unprecedented May heatwave that also shattered temperature records across Iceland, according to a new report from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network. The extreme event – made far more likely by human-caused climate change – offers a sobering preview of the Arctic’s accelerating transformation.
The numbers tell a dramatic story. On May 15, Iceland recorded a sweltering 26°C (79°F) – more than 13°C above typical May temperatures and setting new records at 94% of the country’s weather stations. In eastern Greenland, peak temperatures reached 3.9°C warmer than preindustrial levels. “Without climate change, this would have been impossible,” said Imperial College London’s Friederike Otto, who co-authored the report.
The impacts were immediate and severe. Iceland’s roads turned hazardous as asphalt softened and bled under the unrelenting heat. In Greenland, rapid ice melt triggered flooding while disintegrating sea ice disrupted hunting and travel for indigenous communities. The WWA estimates this single heatwave significantly boosted Greenland’s contribution to global sea level rise.
What makes these temperatures particularly alarming is their timing. “While 20°C might not sound extreme to most people, it’s a really big deal for this part of the world,” Otto explained. Previous Arctic heat records occurred in late summer – this May event represents an ominous shift toward earlier extreme warming.
The science is clear about the cause. Climate change made this heatwave about 3°C hotter and 40 times more likely to occur. If global warming reaches 2.6°C by 2100 as projected, such events could become twice as frequent and even more intense. The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average, turning this fragile region into ground zero for climate disruption.
Beyond the immediate damage, the heatwave exposes deeper vulnerabilities. Arctic infrastructure – built for cold conditions – buckled under conditions it was never designed to withstand. For Greenland’s indigenous hunters, melting ice threatens both livelihoods and centuries-old cultural traditions. Scientists warn these impacts will only worsen without urgent climate action.
As Iceland begins implementing adaptation plans and Greenland confronts heat as an emerging public health threat, this event serves as a stark reminder: what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic. The record-shattering melt of Greenland’s ice sheet will ripple across the planet through rising seas, while the region’s extreme warming offers a preview of what other cold-adapted ecosystems may eventually face.
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