As Europe’s heatwave moves north toward the Arctic…just how worried do we need to be?

There’s no easier way to say it – Europe is baking.  Record high temperatures are breaking the mercury in London, France, Germany and elsewhere across the continent.

And, that warm air is not pushing north toward the Arctic.  Greenland’s ice sheet is feeling the heat and it has some scientists worried.

“So far this year, Arctic sea ice extent has hovered at record lows during the melt season. Weather patterns favorable for increased melt have predominated in this region, and an unusually mild summer has also increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Unlike with sea ice melt, runoff from the Greenland ice sheet increases sea levels, since it adds new water to the oceans.

If the entire ice sheet were to melt, it would raise global average sea levels by 23 feet.” Washington Post, July 26

Are you a reporter covering climate change or weather?  If so – we have an expert who can help with your stories.

Dr. Pamela Grothe is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences as the University of Mary Washington. She recently completed a Ph.D. in the Paleoclimatology Lab at the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department at Georgia Institute of Technology. She’s an #expert in climate change and is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.