Scientists have just uncovered something baffling deep inside the Greenland Ice Sheet. For over a decade, researchers were puzzled by strange, plume-like structures appearing on radar scans. Now, a study released in February 2026 confirms the impossible: the solid ice is churning.
In a phenomenon described as a “freak of nature,” the ice is undergoing thermal convection—a process usually reserved for the molten rock in Earth’s mantle or a boiling pot of water. Instead of sitting still, the ice is roiling and bubbling up from the bottom, meaning the sheet is significantly softer and more dynamic than anyone realized.
The Deep Dive: Why This Changes Everything
This discovery, led by researchers at the University of Bergen, fundamentally alters our understanding of how the world’s second-largest ice body behaves.
The “Molten” Effect: The study found that the ice at the base is up to 10 times softer than previously calculated. This “softness” allows it to flow and churn, potentially accelerating how fast ice moves from the interior to the ocean.
The Tipping Point: This comes on the heels of a separate February 2026 warning that Greenland is inching toward an irreversible tipping point. New data shows meltwater production has increased six-fold since 1990.
Historical Warning: To make matters worse, a breakthrough analysis of the Prudhoe Dome revealed that this section of the ice sheet completely melted 7,000 years ago at temperatures we are on track to hit by 2100.
The Impact
Why does soft, churning ice matter to you? Speed. If the ice sheet is softer and more mobile, current models might be underestimating how quickly it can collapse.
The Greenland Ice Sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by over 23 feet (7 meters). A collapse of this magnitude wouldn’t just redraw maps; it could shut down the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation), the ocean current system that regulates weather for much of Europe and North America. What was once a slow-motion crisis is looking increasingly like a geological fast-forward.
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