Greenland and Antarctica lost 12 trillion tons of ice in 44 years

Greenland and Antarctica lost 12 trillion tons of ice in 44 years

Greenland and Antarctica lost nearly 12.5 trillion tons of ice between 1979 and 2023. This caused the global ocean level to rise by approximately 3.1 centimeters. This amount of ice would be enough to cover the entire territory of the US continent with a layer 1.5 meters thick.

According to CNN Brazil, researchers analyzed 44 years of satellite observations. They combined 45 independent studies containing data from 27 satellites, including NASA missions. According to the results, five-sixths of the ice mass loss is caused not by air warming, but by warm sea water. Warm water is eroding the glaciers both from the sides and from below.

In the 1970s–1990s, the glaciers were relatively stable. However, in the 2010s, the melting rate increased sharply. A stabilization was observed in 2020–2023. Nevertheless, scientists explain this by short-term climate fluctuations and emphasize that it does not mean the long-term trend has changed.

In addition, an unexpected increase in ice volume was recently recorded in Antarctica. Due to exceptionally heavy snowfall observed in East Antarctica from July 2021 to April 2023, the continent gained approximately 695 billion tons of ice. Despite this, West Antarctica continued to lose ice. On average, the continent lost about 140.5 billion tons of ice each year between 2003 and 2024.