Researchers analyzed satellite data to estimate how ice sheets are changing in
The polar ice sheets have been shrinking overof the entire time of satellite observations, seven years with the highest melting rate occurred in the last decade. It peaked in 2019, when the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets lost 612 billion tons of ice.
The main reason was the summer heat in the Arctic inthis year. Because of it, only Greenland has lost 444 billion tons of ice. At the south pole, the changes are associated with the acceleration of glacier melting in the western part of the mainland and on the Antarctic Peninsula. At the same time, the East Antarctic ice sheet remained close to equilibrium throughout the entire era of satellite observations.
Melting ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. Video: ESA
The researchers note that the acceleration of meltingice led to an increase in the influence of these processes on the rise in the level of the world ocean. The collapse of the polar shields has caused sea levels to rise by 21mm since 1992, with Greenland responsible for nearly two-thirds of that rise. In the early 1990s, melting ice sheets accounted for only 5.6% of sea level rise; since then, that contribution has increased to a quarter.
If the ice sheets continue to lose mass like thisAt a rapid pace, researchers believe that sea levels will rise by between 1.5 and 2.7 meters due to glacier melt alone. They will continue to analyze changes annually to assess possible risks.
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