Future of the Environment

How the Greenland ice sheet fared in 2018

Icebergs are reflected in the calm waters at the mouth of the Jakobshavn ice fjord near Ilulissat in Greenland in this photo taken May 15, 2007. New York, Boston and other cities on North America's northeast coast could face a rise in sea level this century that would exceed forecasts for the rest of the planet if Greenland's ice sheet keeps melting as fast as it is now, researchers said May 27, 2009. Sea levels off the northeast coast of North America could rise by 12 to 20 inches more than other coastal areas if the Greenland glacier-melt continues to accelerate at its present pace, the researchers reported. REUTERS/Bob Strong/Files (GREENLAND ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY) - GM1E55S0A7P01

The ice sheet always gains more snow than the ice it loses. Image: REUTERS/Bob Strong/Files

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SMB through 2017-18 (top) and 2018-19 (bottom) shown as blue lines. Grey lines show the 1981-2010 average and red shows the record low of 2011-12.
Image: DMI Polar Portal.
Maps show the difference between the annual SMB in 2017 (left) and 2018 (right) compared with the 1981-2010 period (in mm of ice melt). Blue shows more ice gain than average and red shows more ice loss than average.
Image: DMI Polar Portal.
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Maps show average temperature for June 2018, relative to 1981-2010 average. Shading indicates warm (red) and cool (blue) areas.
Image: Copernicus Climate Change Service / ECMWF
Maps show average temperature for August 2018, relative to 1981-2010 average. Shading indicates warm (red) and cool (blue) areas.
Image: Copernicus Climate Change Service / ECMWF
The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launches onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, 22 May 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls
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