"The surface of Greenland's massive ice sheet has melted this month over an unusually large area, NASA has said."
"Scientists said the 'unprecedented' melting took place over a larger area than has been detected in three decades of satellite observation.
Melting even occurred at Greenland's coldest and highest place, Summit station.
The thawed ice area jumped from 40% of the ice sheet to 97% in just four days from 8 July.
Although about half of Greenland's ice sheet normally sees surface melting over the summer months, the speed and scale of this year's thaw surprised scientists, who described the phenomenon as 'extraordinary'.
NASA said that nearly the entire ice cover of Greenland, from its thin, low-lying coastal edges to its centre, which is 3km (two miles) thick, experienced some degree of melting at its surface."
BBC News had the story July 25, 2012.
SEE ALSO:
"Greenland Ice Sheet Had Biggest Thaw Since 1973 This Month, Scientists Say" (Washington Post)
"Greenland Ice Melt, Measured By NASA Satellites, Reaches Unprecedented Level" (Huffington Post)
