Researchers and ice scientists have been shocked by the rapid retreat of some of the Arctic’s oldest ice, off the coast of northern Greenland.
Recent satellite imagery shows kilometres of open water in place of ancient sea ice; a region scientists had expected to withstand the immediate impacts of climate change and retain ice-cover all-year-round.
As sea ice melts, less sunlight is reflected back into space and is instead absorbed by the dark blue of the ocean, increasing temperatures in the water and the surrounding atmosphere.