In 2025, Greenland and Iceland recorded record May warming, which accelerated the melting of the ice cap by 17 times compared to the average since the 1990s. According to the World Weather Attribution, such extreme temperatures are now 40 times more likely to occur due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, indicating a deeper impact of climate change than previously thought.
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Rising temperatures and melting ice
The melting of Greenland’s ice sheets has reached an unprecedented pace: in May 2025 alone, ice layers lost mass 17 times faster than the average over recent decades. During the spring, the global surface temperature was 1.4°C higher than pre-industrial levels, and the peak of warming in high latitudes contributed to intensive melting and an extended ice loss season.
Advanced research methods
For more accurate assessments, researchers use drones with special equipment to collect air samples at altitudes up to 1,500 metres. Through aerial photography and isotope analysis, scientists track the paths of water vapour and determine how much ice is changing into the water phase and how much is evaporating directly from the surface. This helps to understand that Greenland is losing approximately 55 gigatons of ice every year and has already lost more than 5 trillion tonnes since 1992.
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Global impacts on sea levels and ocean currents
The melting of the Greenland ice cap is causing sea level rise, threatening coastal areas and possibly slowing the Atlantic Meridional Circulation, a key component of the northern hemisphere’s heat balance. Increased meltwater could lead to long-term changes in the climate system, exacerbating extreme weather events in Europe and North America.
Social and geopolitical challenges
Rapid ice melting is changing the living conditions of about 56,000 Greenlanders and affecting the traditional livelihoods of indigenous peoples, making it difficult to move and hunt on the ice. At the same time, the region is gaining strategic importance due to mineral resources and the opening of new shipping routes, which is attracting the attention of global players, but the Greenlandic government insists on maintaining its sovereignty.
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