Impressive surface mass balance (SMB) readings–a calculation to determine the ‘health’ of a glacier––have been posted across the Greenland ice sheet all season, particularly during the so-called summer ‘melt’ season.
Case in point is yesterday’s (Aug 29’s) record-smashing 7 Gigaton GAIN — a reading that would be impressive and at time of year, but one that has entered the books as the largest ever daily gain during the summer (with data extending back to the 1980s).