How fast is ice melting

Scientists said the precision of the data allowed them to be more certain than before that glacier loss is enormous and accelerating. But the picture varied across time and from region to region. Smaller, lower glaciers did not contribute as much in volume, but they were the most vulnerable to change. Thinning rates in the European Alps were twice the global average.

The lead author, Romain Hugonnet, of the University of Toulouse, said the data was an urgent warning. Living in Switzerland, he feared future generations would not be able to enjoy the Alps as he has done. If there are no glaciers, there will be less water in times of drought at the end of summer. That will continue until there is nothing left.

That means we will lose almost everything, except the biggest glaciers. His greatest concern was in high Asian mountain ranges, which are the source of rivers such as the Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Brahmaputra, which support large downstream populations.

This story has been updated to clarify the values of the potential sea level rise contributions from the different ice sheets at the end of the century. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.

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Science Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. Science The controversial sale of 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops. Science Coronavirus Coverage How antivirals may change the course of the pandemic. Science Coronavirus Coverage U. Combined losses from both ice sheets peaked at billion tons per year in and averaged billion tons per year for the remainder of the decade. The peak loss coincided with several years of intense surface melting in Greenland, and last summer's Arctic heat wave means that will likely set a new record for polar ice sheet loss, but further analysis is needed.

IPCC projections indicate the resulting sea level rise could put million people at risk of annual coastal flooding by the end of the century. As to what is leading to the ice loss, Antarctica's outlet glaciers are being melted by the ocean, which causes them to speed up. Whereas this accounts for the majority of Antarctica's ice loss, it accounts for half of Greenland's ice loss; the rest is caused by rising air temperatures melting the surface of its ice sheet.

Ian J.