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NASA-backed study: High altitude melt at 150 percent of 2-decade average: MSNBC, September 25, 2007

You can read the whole article here: Parts of Greenland ice melting at faster rate

Here is an excerpt:

"The ice sheet covering Greenland, a mass so big it would raise sea levels by 20 feet if it vanished, continues to melt and high-altitude areas saw their fastest melt rate in two decades of recording, researchers reported Tuesday in a peer-reviewed journal.

"This record melting index in those areas came as a bit of a surprise, showing us, once again, the extreme variability and complexity of these processes," NASA researcher and study co-author Marco Tedesco said in a statement issued by NASA.

"Increases in the overall melting trend over Greenland have an impact that stretches beyond its icy shores," he added. "Aside from contributing to direct sea level rise, melting especially along the coast can speed up glaciers since the meltwater acts like a lubricant between the frozen surface and the bedrock deep below. The faster glaciers flow, the more water enters the ocean and potentially impacts sea level rise.""