Fig. 4: Atmospheric conditions over the Arctic in summer for the low melt years of 2017 and 2018 and the strong melt year of 2019.
From: Return to rapid ice loss in Greenland and record loss in 2019 detected by the GRACE-FO satellites
Shown are summer mean (JJA) anomalies relative to 2002–2016. In 2017 and 2018, a 500 hPa geopotential height shows a pronounced low over Greenland, promoting below average (2002–2016), c temperatures at 700 hPa. In 2019, the pattern reversed with a higher, b 500 hPa geopotential height, accompanied by significantly warmer, d temperatures at 700 hPa in western Greenland. Thick black lines in a and b are contours of the anomaly of the 500 hPa geopotential height spaced at intervals of 20 m.
