Rain at the summit can affect the ice sheet differently than if it occurred on the periphery, Walden said. Rain around the periphery during an anomalously warm event can generate a lot of melt water that runs off the ice sheet. The melt that occurred at the summit, however, will percolate into the snowpack to colder temperatures and probably refreeze. It will not drain all the way to the coast.

Source: Washington Post August 19, 2021 16:49 UTC