Scientists confirm dramatic melting of Greenland ice sheet

Study reveals loss largely due to high pressure zone not taken into account by climate models

There was a dramatic melting of Greenland's ice sheet in the summer of 2019, researchers have confirmed, in a study that reveals the loss was largely down to a persistent zone of high pressure over the region.

The ice sheet melted at a near record rate in 2019, and much faster than the average of previous decades. Figures have suggested that in July alone surface ice declined by 197 gigatonnes - equivalent to about 80 million Olympic swimming pools.