Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
More Rainfall and Less Snowfall Over Greenland is Greatly Accelerating Glacier Mass Loss and Darkening
I chat about how the precipitation over Greenland is changing, with more an more rainfall replacing snowfall. This is a double whammy for glacial ice melt, since the lack of snowfall being compressed over many years to form new ice is greatly reduced, and the warm rain directly melts the snow and ice, and lubricates the bottom of the ice resting on the bedrock increasing glacial flow towards the coastlines and oceans, leading to more calving events and greater sea level rise rates.
The recent peer-reviewed scientific paper that I focus on for this video measures precipitation over Greenland, and based on the surface temperature categorizes it as snowfall or rainfall, and measures the number and amount of rainfall over the various months of the year across the different regions of Greenland.
Then, models of anticipated air temperature rise over Greenland are expected to accurately predict how much warming would cause much greater amounts of rainfall, in fact cause rain to fall at all locations on Greenland.
Very important and crucial information that determines how quickly Greenland glacial ice will be lost in the future, assuming the AMOC does not shut off too soon.
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
Links:
Peer-reviewed scientific paper in GRL (Geophysical Research Letters):
Title: An Observational Constraint for Future Greenland Rain in a Warmer Atmosphere
Abstract
Increased rain over the Greenland Ice Sheet can accelerate ice sheet mass loss and sea level rise. Here, 14 years of unique spaceborne-radar observations over the Greenland Ice Sheet provide an observational constraint on increased rain occurrence in a warming climate. Combining these satellite-based precipitation observations with near-surface temperature reveals the spatial and temporal distribution of modern (2006–2020) snow and rain. This distribution serves as the foundation for determining the increase in Greenland rain due to atmospheric warming alone. Rain doubles under 2.3°C of local near-surface warming. With 10.7°C of warming, half of all precipitation observations become rain. Projected 21st century warming would lead to a rain-dominated precipitation record at low elevations with rain possible anywhere on the ice sheet. These results suggest precipitation phase shifts due to warming alone can generate rain capable of amplifying surface runoff and sea level rise.
Link: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GL114710?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMBrNVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqfzUFybI6nTuIyGONnzWgq0DqAe8FvOD-MLCtru8AjBIOK7MXAEO0Y8AVGR_aem_FqMpmUHU473o5FqOlsYEwA
Greenland topography with zero ice:
ecoclimax.com/2016/10/topographic-map-of-greenland-from.html
Greenland bedrock and ice thickness today:
antarcticglaciers.org/glaciers-and-climate/changing-greenland-ice-sheet/greenland-ice-sheet
Perplexity.ai questions:
Please discuss changes in rainfall trends in Greenland.
Why does climate warming lead to more rain rather than snow in Greenland (causal reasoning)
perplexity.ai/search/please-discuss-changes-in-rain-ulyDycDvQ7OLdV2xZnPVjQ?0=d
My YouTube video from over a year ago about:
Increased Rainfall over Greenland by 33% Means Less Snowfall and Thus Less Ice Accumulation youtube.com/watch?v=yS9t3P8_LdE
A very comprehensive and significant peer reviewed scientific study shows that over the period of time from 1991 to 2021 there has been an increase of rainfall over the massive ice sheets on Greenland and a corresponding decrease in the snowfall that over time gets compressed into firn and then accumulates as new ice on the ice sheet. Thus, not only is the Greenland ice ablating, and thinning, and calving at increased rates, but less snow is falling to cause ice accumulation, since more of the precipitation is falling as rainfall instead of snowfall. Not only that, but we are seeing an increasing number of so-called Atmospheric River Events (ARs) reaching over the Greenland Ice as the jet stream slows down and the north-south jet stream waves are amplified. More and more of these warm, moisture laden atmospheric rivers are causing torrential rain events over Greenland, where more than 300 mm of rain falls in a single day, even at very high altitudes on the ice sheet. This warm rainfall further ablates the ice sheet and runs down into crevices and moulins and accelerates glacial flow rates. Also, these atmospheric rivers are filamenting into fingers of extremely high water content updrafts...
Not a pretty picture...
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos as I join the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
More Rainfall and Less Snowfall Over Greenland is Greatly Accelerating Glacier Mass Loss and Darkening
I chat about how the precipitation over Greenland is changing, with more an more rainfall replacing snowfall. This is a double whammy for glacial ice melt, since the lack of snowfall being compressed over many years to form new ice is greatly reduced, and the warm rain directly melts the snow and ice, and lubricates the bottom of the ice resting on the bedrock increasing glacial flow towards the coastlines and oceans, leading to more calving events and greater sea level rise rates.
The recent peer-reviewed scientific paper that I focus on for this video measures precipitation over Greenland, and based on the surface temperature categorizes it as snowfall or rainfall, and measures the number and amount of rainfall over the various months of the year across the different regions of Greenland.
Then, models of anticipated air temperature rise over Greenland are expected to accurately predict how much warming would cause much greater amounts of rainfall, in fact cause rain to fall at all locations on Greenland.
Very important and crucial information that determines how quickly Greenland glacial ice will be lost in the future, assuming the AMOC does not shut off too soon.
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos connecting the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
Links:
Peer-reviewed scientific paper in GRL (Geophysical Research Letters):
Title: An Observational Constraint for Future Greenland Rain in a Warmer Atmosphere
Abstract
Increased rain over the Greenland Ice Sheet can accelerate ice sheet mass loss and sea level rise. Here, 14 years of unique spaceborne-radar observations over the Greenland Ice Sheet provide an observational constraint on increased rain occurrence in a warming climate. Combining these satellite-based precipitation observations with near-surface temperature reveals the spatial and temporal distribution of modern (2006–2020) snow and rain. This distribution serves as the foundation for determining the increase in Greenland rain due to atmospheric warming alone. Rain doubles under 2.3°C of local near-surface warming. With 10.7°C of warming, half of all precipitation observations become rain. Projected 21st century warming would lead to a rain-dominated precipitation record at low elevations with rain possible anywhere on the ice sheet. These results suggest precipitation phase shifts due to warming alone can generate rain capable of amplifying surface runoff and sea level rise.
Link: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GL114710?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMBrNVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqfzUFybI6nTuIyGONnzWgq0DqAe8FvOD-MLCtru8AjBIOK7MXAEO0Y8AVGR_aem_FqMpmUHU473o5FqOlsYEwA
Greenland topography with zero ice:
ecoclimax.com/2016/10/topographic-map-of-greenland-from.html
Greenland bedrock and ice thickness today:
antarcticglaciers.org/glaciers-and-climate/changing-greenland-ice-sheet/greenland-ice-sheet
Perplexity.ai questions:
Please discuss changes in rainfall trends in Greenland.
Why does climate warming lead to more rain rather than snow in Greenland (causal reasoning)
perplexity.ai/search/please-discuss-changes-in-rain-ulyDycDvQ7OLdV2xZnPVjQ?0=d
My YouTube video from over a year ago about:
Increased Rainfall over Greenland by 33% Means Less Snowfall and Thus Less Ice Accumulation youtube.com/watch?v=yS9t3P8_LdE
A very comprehensive and significant peer reviewed scientific study shows that over the period of time from 1991 to 2021 there has been an increase of rainfall over the massive ice sheets on Greenland and a corresponding decrease in the snowfall that over time gets compressed into firn and then accumulates as new ice on the ice sheet. Thus, not only is the Greenland ice ablating, and thinning, and calving at increased rates, but less snow is falling to cause ice accumulation, since more of the precipitation is falling as rainfall instead of snowfall. Not only that, but we are seeing an increasing number of so-called Atmospheric River Events (ARs) reaching over the Greenland Ice as the jet stream slows down and the north-south jet stream waves are amplified. More and more of these warm, moisture laden atmospheric rivers are causing torrential rain events over Greenland, where more than 300 mm of rain falls in a single day, even at very high altitudes on the ice sheet. This warm rainfall further ablates the ice sheet and runs down into crevices and moulins and accelerates glacial flow rates. Also, these atmospheric rivers are filamenting into fingers of extremely high water content updrafts...
Not a pretty picture...
Please donate to PaulBeckwith.net to support my research and videos as I join the dots on abrupt climate system mayhem.
