The world's second biggest body of ice - the Greenland Ice Sheet - is cracking open quicker than scientists had previously thought. That's according to new research by a team of scientists, led by Dr Tom Chudley, from Durham University's Geography Department.

Observing Greenland from a helicopter, the main problem is one of comprehending scale. I have thought we were skimming low over the waves of a fjord, before noticing the tiny shadow of a seabird far below and realizing what I suspected were floating shards of ice were in fact icebergs the size of office blocks.

Crevasses are widening faster as meltwater drives fissures deeper into the ice and lubricates the base of glaciers, increasing concerns about how quickly their melting will raise sea levels.