CNN —The area of Greenland’s ice loss in the past three decades is roughly 36 times the size of New York City — land that is rapidly giving way to wetlands and shrubs, a study published Tuesday shows. Ice loss has exposed barren rock in parts of the country. Mark Smith/University of LeedsWarmer air temperatures have driven ice loss, which has in turn raised land temperatures. Snow and ice typically reflect the sun’s energy back into space, preventing excessive heating in parts of the Earth. Ice melt also increases the amount of water in lakes, where water absorbs more heat than snow, which increases land surface temperatures.

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Persons: Jonathan Carrivick, Mark Smith, ‘, Michael Grimes, “, ” Organizations: CNN, University of Leeds, “ Locations: New York City, Greenland, Kangerlussuaq, Bowdoin, Qaanaaq, Kingdom of Denmark