In Greenland, Spring Springs Ahead

Danish scientists have determined that spring is arriving in the Arctic a full two weeks earlier than just a decade ago.

Ice in north-east Greenland is now melting an average of 14.6 days earlier than in the mid-1990s. In a region where the period between snow melt and freeze up has normally been just a few months, the lengthening summer is a marked change.

The Danes acknowledge that some critics consider the 10-year study period as not long enough to reach their conclusions but note that their findings have been put to independent peer review and were found satisfactory by the consistency of the results.