Large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible and happening at a rapid rate, and now a new international study is the first to understand why. Large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible and happening at a rapid rate, and now a new international study is the first to understand why. A University of Waterloo scientist and a team of international collaborators found that airborne mineral dust and other aerosols are directly connected to how much algae grows on the ice. As one of the fastest-melting cryosphere regions in the world, the Greenland ice sheet is an area of great significance, and understanding the factors driving its melt helps predict its contribution to future sea-level rise. Read more at: University of WaterlooDr. Jenine McCutcheon samples an ice core.