THE melting of the Greenland ice sheet is causing more extreme heat in Europe, contributing to the heatwaves experienced there so far this year. The surge of cold meltwater into the North Atlantic is altering ocean temperatures and shifting the jet stream to favour heatwaves in western Europe and the Mediterranean, a study undergoing peer review has found. As Greenland ice loss accelerates, Europe may suffer more frequent and intense heatwaves than climate models currently predict. This newly discovered “atmospheric bridge” played a major role in the unprecedented heatwaves this summer, according to Marilena Oltmanns at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, who is one of the study’s authors. …