Greenland and Antarctica have lost 12.5 trillion tons of ice since 1979, causing global sea levels to rise by about 3.2 centimeters.
A comprehensive new study shows that melting has accelerated in recent decades, especially since the 1990s. The main cause is warmer oceans, which cause glaciers to shed ice into the sea more quickly.
The study combines satellite data collected over more than 40 years. Data for Antarctica has been collected since 1979, while for Greenland since 1972.
The analysis shows that ice sheets were relatively stable during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. Then, ice loss accelerated, with the most pronounced increase after 2010.
Researchers have determined that about 84 percent of the ice loss is due to increased ice loss into the oceans, while 16 percent is related to processes on the ice surface, euronews writes.
Warmer seawater is melting ice from beneath and at the edges of glaciers, accelerating their movement toward the ocean. In Greenland, the Jakobshavn Glacier is retreating at a rate of up to 50 meters per day.
Melting ice since 1979 has contributed to a global sea level rise of about 3.2 centimeters. Scientists warn that even small increases could have serious consequences for coastal areas. According to estimates, every centimeter of sea level rise could expose an additional 2 to 3 million people to coastal flooding each year.
Ice loss slowed from 2020 to 2023, but researchers stress that this was the result of short-term weather conditions and not a change in the long-term trend. Higher snowfall in East Antarctica offset some of the losses, while milder summers in Greenland reduced surface melting.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Data, shows that ice sheets react to climate change with a lag of several decades. For this reason, the researchers warn that ice loss could continue even if global warming is brought under control.