the Greenland Ice Sheet

The Greenland Ice Sheet is a vast mass of ice covering roughly 1.7 million square kilometers in Greenland, containing about 8% of Earth's freshwater. It is the second-largest ice sheet after Antarctica and plays a crucial role in global sea levels. The ice sheet accumulates snowfall that compacts into ice over time, but climate change is causing it to melt and thin, contributing to rising sea levels worldwide. Its health is an important indicator of climate trends, and changes to the ice sheet can have significant impacts on coastal environments globally.