Glacier melt is depleting regional freshwater resources and driving global sea levels to rise at ever-faster rates. A new study, led by the World Glacier Monitoring Service, found that glaciers have been losing an average of 273 billion tonnes of ice per year since 2000. However, the rate of glacier ice loss has increased significantly over the last decade, with a 36% jump in the second half of the study period.
The research, published today in Nature, provides new insights into regional trends and year-to-year variability of glacier mass change. The team combined data from multiple sources, including satellite missions, to produce an annual time series of glacier mass change for all glacier regions globally from 2000 to 2023.
According to the study, glaciers collectively lost 6542 billion tonnes of ice between 2000 and 2023, contributing 18 mm to global sea-level rise. This represents a significant loss of regional freshwater resources, with some areas losing up to 39% of their total volume.
The research highlights the importance of glacier mass balance in understanding global sea-level rise. Glaciers rank as the second-largest contributor to global sea-level rise, following ocean warming related thermal expansion. The Arctic and Antarctic regions are key players, but nearly one-quarter of the glacier contribution originates from Alaska.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from around the world, including Michael Zemp, Livia Jakob, and Noel Gourmelen. It marks an important milestone in preparation for this year’s United Nations’ International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034).
Source: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/CryoSat/Glacier_melt_intensifying_freshwater_loss_and_accelerating_sea-level_rise