Greenland and Antarctica lost 11.3 trillion tonnes of ice

New research based on satellite data going back to the 1970s has documented major polar ice losses in Greenland and Antarctica — home to Earth's two great ice sheets — that have contributed to rising global sea levels.



Between 1979 and 2023, according to data from 27 satellite missions, Greenland and Antarctica lost a combined 11.3 trillion tons of ice, adding 1.24 inches (3.14 cm) to the worldwide sea-level rise.



The study, employing the longest satellite data record of changes in ice sheets ever gathered to give the most complete account to date of ice loss in Greenland and Antarctica, was conducted by the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise team, an international group of polar scientists.