The Big Melt - Greenland - the melting ice giant

The invention of the name Greenland may mark the start of the advertising industry.

One story tells how Erik the Red, the Icelandic Viking who wanted to get people to join his planned settlement, called it Greenland because a pleasant name would attract more settlers.

The ice sheet on Greenland covers most of this huge island.



Each summer the ice surface melts in places, but the area where melt happens is increasing over time.



Greenland is losing ice, and the mass of ice lost is measured by satellites called GRACE.


A survey of Greenland's glaciers has shown they are speeding up.

 The speed has increased by about 30% in 10 years.

 A new NASA project called Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) will observe changing water temperatures on the continental shelf surrounding Greenland, and how marine glaciers react to the presence of warm, salty Atlantic Water.

Updates about Greenland's ice sheet are regularly posted by the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

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