Greenland’s massive ice sheet has receded by 4.7 trillion tons in 20 years, contributing to a 1.2 centimeter rise in ocean levels.

This volume of melted ice represents half a meter of water over the size of the United States, and the latest data has shown that most of the lost ice was located at the edges of the ice sheet.

Climate change is a concern in the Arctic, where the latest scientific studies indicate that ice is retreating at a rate of three or even four times.