Science
Greenland and Antarctica lost over 12 trillion tons of ice since 1979
ABC News reports that satellite data shows warming ocean waters are driving an acceleration of global ice loss.
The short version
- Greenland and Antarctica have lost 12.5 trillion tons of ice since 1979, contributing to roughly an inch of sea level rise.[ABC News]
- Warm ocean waters melting ice sheets from below and the sides account for five-sixths of the total loss.[ABC News]
- Although ice loss appeared to pause between 2020 and 2023, researchers attribute this to short-term weather patterns rather than a shift in long-term warming trends.[ABC News]
Key facts
- Greenland and Antarctica have lost 12.5 trillion tons of glacial ice since 1979.[ABC News]
- Warming ocean waters cause five-sixths of the ice loss by eroding ice sheets from below and along the sides.[ABC News]
- The ice melt released nearly 3 quadrillion gallons of water, driving global sea levels up by about one inch.[ABC News]
- Scientists utilized satellite data to track ice sheet volume records back to 1972 for Greenland and 1979 for Antarctica.[ABC News]
What remains uncertain
- A apparent slowdown in the rate of ice loss between 2020 and 2023 is interpreted by study authors as short-term weather noise rather than a change in climate trends.[ABC News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.