Ice Sheets Today

Data images and analyses of polar ice sheet melt conditions

Melt Analyses

Our scientific data analysis articles for the Greenland Ice Sheet melt season are typically published from April 1 to November 1. Antarctic Ice Sheet melt season articles are published from November 1 to April 1. Select an article below to explore ice sheet melt conditions by month and year-to-date.

 

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Dark surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Greenland
The 2024 melt season for the Greenland Ice Sheet is above the 1991 to 2020 average, but the total number of melt days and peak melt area for Greenland are within the midrange of the last 24 years.
The edge of Greenland Ice Sheet in summer
Northern Hemisphere
Greenland
North America
On April 25, 2024, a moderately strong melt event kicked things off early on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Since then, however, the melt season has been fairly typical. Snowfall in early June blanketed exposed ice, which will slow the onset of more intense melting and run off for the next few weeks. Overall, melting in Greenland has remained well above the 1980s and 1990s levels since 2013, but the 2012 season remains a distinct record.
melt off of Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctica
Southern Hemisphere
In late February and early March, two record melt events for that time of year occurred on the Antarctic Peninsula. Overall, however, the 2023 to 2024 melt season was slightly below the 45-year average because of low melt regions outside of the Antarctic Peninsula. 
Crane Glaciers
Antarctica
Ice sheet surface melt on the Antarctic Peninsula abruptly dropped in mid-January and remained low through February 15. By contrast, melt day totals for the season were above average for the northern Larsen C and George VI Ice Shelves.
Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctica
With the melt season well underway in the Southern Hemisphere, several ice shelves extending from the Antarctic Ice Sheet show above average melting, with significant melting in the Antarctic Peninsula region.
Graph of ice sheet mass loss, 1992-2021
Antarctica
Greenland
NSIDC has launched an upgraded and streamlined Ice Sheets Today website. The new site replaces the site previously known as Greenland Today and Antarctica Today. Ice Sheets Today offers easy access to melt statistics and scientific analysis of ice sheet conditions.
Asperitas clouds linger over the southern Greenland town of Narsaq on August 22, 2023.
Greenland
A strong weather pattern from August 21 to 24 caused widespread melting across Greenland. This unusually late summer melt event was caused by a high and low air pressure configuration known as an omega pattern because of its jet stream shape.
Melting ice and ice mélange near Qaanaaq, Greenland.
Greenland
Late June ushered in a significant shift in weather and melting for Greenland, particularly for the southern portion of the ice sheet, known as South Dome, where melting is currently on a record pace. Melting along the northern rim of the ice sheet is also greater than average.
Figure 3. Surface mass balance graph of Greenland, Sept 1 2022 - June 20 2023
Greenland
The melt season for the Greenland Ice Sheet has been near-average so far, with cool conditions in northern Greenland despite warm weather in nearby Arctic Canada. A small region of the ice sheet may not be properly mapped as it shows a higher number of melt days than is likely considering the observed weather for that area.
Figure 1b: Antarctic melt days map
Antarctica
The Antarctic Peninsula has had an intense melt season with above average melting persisting through much of February. Saturated snow from a high melt year and low sea ice in Bellingshausen Sea have led to a series of minor calving events on the Wilkins Ice Shelf. Elsewhere in Antarctica, melting was near average.
Figure 4
Antarctica
As the peak of Antarctica's melt season approaches, surface snow melting has been widespread over coastal West Antarctica, with much of the low-lying areas of the Peninsula and northern West Antarctic coastline showing 5 to 10 days more melting than average. However, much of the East Antarctic coast is near average.
Figure 2b
Antarctica
Daily monitoring of surface melting in Antarctica resumes for the 2022-2023 season. Early melting through November has been limited to the region near the northern Larsen Ice Shelf, the Wilkins Ice Shelf, and an unusual melt event in Wilkes Land and Northern Victoria Land.
Figure 1a
Greenland
As most of the western United States baked under a prolonged, record-setting heatwave at the beginning of September, Greenland also underwent a very unusual late-season melt event.
Figure 3c
Greenland
A moderate melt surge swept across northern Greenland and then encompassed much of the ice sheet perimeter in mid-July. Overall, the 2022 summer season in Greenland continues at a modest pace relative to the past few years.
Figure 4e
Antarctica
As a whole, surface melting on the Antarctic Ice Sheet has been near average. After a series of warm events followed by intense down-slope winds, the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula sustained widespread melting . The Peninsula also experienced a strong late-season melt event.
Figure 2b
Antarctica
So far during the austral spring and summer, except for the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula and in the area of the Roi Baudion Ice Shelf, few areas on the Antarctic Ice Sheet had any significant surface melting as of this post.