Greenland’s ice sheet melted 17 times faster than normal during a record breaking heatwave in May.

Temperatures taken at its airport showed a record high of 14.3°C on May 19, which was 13 degrees higher than the average daily temperature for the month.

Meanwhile parts of Iceland saw temperatures rise as high at 26°C, more than 10°C above average.

Scientists say as the Greenland ice sheet melts, it releases massive amounts of fresh water into the salty oceans.

This could slow down an ocean current in the Atlantic that circulates water from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and then the Arctic.

According to a 2022 study in scientific journal Nature, the Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979,

To date, the main cause of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels.