(CNN) Over 40% of Greenland experienced melting yesterday, with total ice loss estimated to be more than 2 gigatons (a gigaton is equal to 1 billion tons). While Greenland is a big island filled with lots of ice, it is highly unusual for that much ice to be lost in the middle of June. The average "melt season" for Greenland runs from June to August, with the bulk of the melting occurring in July. Mote explained how snow and ice melt off the Greenland ice sheet, especially early in the season, makes it easier to for additional melt to occur later in the summer. Box pointed out that this year had unusually early season melt days in April, and the melt season was "happening about three weeks earlier than average, and earlier than the record-setting melt year of 2012."

Source: CNN June 14, 2019 18:56 UTC