Polar ice sheets lost 11 trillion tons of ice since 1979

Scientists combined 42 independent satellite observation estimates and found that Greenland and Antarctic glaciers lost 11.3 trillion tons of ice from 1979 to 2023. This raised sea level by about 3 cm; 84% of the loss came from accelerated glacier flow into the ocean rather than surface melting.

• Ice loss raised average sea level by about 3 cm
• 84% of loss from glacier flow into ocean, 16% from surface melting
• Losses accelerated since the 1990s, peaking in Greenland in the 2010s
• West Antarctic glaciers are speeding up each decade of observation