Nearly all of Greenland's massive ice sheet suddenly started melting a bit this month, a freak event that surprised scientists.
Three satellites show unprecedented melting of the ice sheet that blankets the island, starting on July 8 and lasting four days to 12 July. Most of the thick ice remains. While some ice usually melts during the summer, what was unusual was that the melting happened in a flash and over a widespread area.
A wave of warm air washed over the Greenland ice sheet and melted it. The ice melt area went from 40 percent of the ice sheet to 97 percent in four days, according to NASA.
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