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.

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.

The Greenland Ice Sheet is cracking open more rapidly as it responds to climate change. The warning comes in a new large-scale study of crevasses on the world's second largest body of ice.

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.

Large-scale study finds crevasse sizes on Greenland ice sheet increasing in size and depth – and may cause more rapid loss of ice from region

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 realising what I suspected were floating shards of ice were in fact icebergs the size of office blocks.