The Greenland Ice Sheet saw a sharp spike in the rate and extent of melting last week, with 18 billion tons of water running into the North Atlantic in just three days. Satellite photos reveal melt ponds dotting the ice cover, particularly near the coasts.
Why it matters: Greenland's melting ice is the top annual contributor to global sea level rise. How much of and how quickly the ice sheet is lost will determine the fate of coastal cities from Hong Kong to Miami.
Hundreds of temperature records fell over the past week as an intense heat wave continues to blast the U.S.
The big picture: The deadly heat wave set or tied 359 daily high-temperature records over the last week, along with 709 records for the warmest overnight low temperature, according to NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information.
A wildfire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size over the weekend as hot and dry conditions hampered efforts to contain it, authorities said.
The latest: The Oak Fire in Northern California grew to more than 15,600 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday night, per Cal Fire. After igniting on Friday, the wildfire underwent "explosive growth" Saturday, reaching 6,555 acres.
