Jump to content
The World News Media

Greenland was hotter than New York City last week


Guest Nicole

Recommended Posts

  • Guest
Guest Nicole

Greenland, the Arctic nation that is basically one huge ice cube, is feeling rather balmy lately.

The island experienced the highest temperatures ever recorded on June 9, when air temperature in Nuuk, the capital city, soared to 75 degrees F. While that may seem like no sweat, the average high for this time of year between 1961 and 1990 was just 44 degrees F, and even Greenland’s hottest month rarely broke 50.

But that was then. That record-breaking day in June was hotter in Nuuk than it was in New York City, while a heat wave in April saw warmer weather in Greenland than in Boston.

All this hot air caused Greenland’s sea ice, which is the size of Texas, to begin thawing nearly six weeks before normal this year. The rapid melting of over 12 percent of the ice sheet was so unusual in April that Danish Meteorological Institute scientist Peter Langen said they “had to check that our models were still working properly.”

It’s a bad omen of what’s to come as climate change ramps up: Scientists predict that if the Greenland ice sheet melted entirely, global seas would rise by more than 20 feet.

Granted, Greenland has a lot of ice, and melting all of it could take a few hundred years. By then, Greenland — and most coastal areas — will be gone for good.

Source: http://grist.org/climate-energy/greenland-was-hotter-than-new-york-city-last-week/

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Views 580
  • Replies 3
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

I should visit Greenland before its gone. 

Wow

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Service Confirmation Terms of Use Privacy Policy Guidelines We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.