Arctic Ice That Scientists Thought Would Last Is Melting Arctic sea ice north of Greenland is some of the oldest and thickest ice on Earth. Scientists have even called the region "the last ice area" This year, ice in the region has thawed twice. One scientist described the unusual melting as "scary." Winds and unusual warm weather have pushed the ice away from Greenland's coast, where it stays stable and piles up to 70 feet high. This trend in the Arctic has been occurring since 1995. In fact, between 1995 and 2017,