https://www.dmi.dk/en/groenland/maalinger/greenland-ice-sheet-surface-mass-budget/As at 31 July 2018Commentary mostly unchanged.
When melt is high, precipitation seems also mostly above average. When melt is low, precipitation is often higher than average, but not by much. SMB was supposed to be on the decline since the beginning of June. Apart from one, maybe two days, SMB decline has been persistently below average. As a result, current SMB looks like it is now more than 150 GT above the 30 year average.
A large melt did happen Monday (40%) & Tuesday (46% highest for year to date), with less precipitation - that did change things a bit - another day, making two days sine June 1, where SMB loss was above average. Note also the intensity of melt on the WEST coast - effect on glaciers?
In contrast, although last year the story was also about SMB increasing well above average. it was for a totally different reason - last year being from large winter and spring snow fall.
On average there are now, on average, only about 15 days left for the Greenland SMB to reduce (i.e. melt). Of course, there may be surprises to come.
I wonder when NASA will start giving us ice-sheet mass data from GRACE follow-on - testing must be nearing the end.
Note: GRACE gives the change in Ice-Sheet Mass, which is SMB gain less Glacial Calving loss. The assumption is that SMB gain in the DMI Sept-Aug year is about 400GT, and calving loss about 600GT on average, giving a net annual Ice Sheet Mass loss of about 200 GT. GRACE data to 2017 showed that net mass loss was increasing substantially over time.
So SMB is just half the story. We need the other half.