Greenland Ice Sheet Flows Faster During Summer Melting

New measurements show that the flow of ice in the Greenland ice sheet has been accelerating since 1996 during the summer melt season. The results suggest that the ice sheet may be responding more quickly to the warming climate than previously thought.

In an article published in Science magazine's online Sciencexpress June 7, Jay Zwally, an ICESat Project scientist at the Goddard, Waleed Abdalati, a Polar Program scientist at NASA Headquarters, and colleagues report that increases in ice velocity during the summer are correlated with the timing and the intensity of ice sheet surface melting.

For the complete article on melting of the Greenland ice sheets, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020606greenland.html