Contributions of Greenland and Antarctica to Sea Level Rise
A new study was recently published quantifying ice mass lost from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AnIS). The study is important because it combines 43 independent estimates of ice mass changes, from satellite measurements to arrive at estimates of ice sheet mass balance changes from 1972 for the GrIS and 1979 for AnIS. Combines, the two ice sheets "lost 11,309 ± 565 billion tonnes of ice between 1979 and 2023, with glacier dynamical imbalance driving 84% of the ice loss and surface mass balance the remainder." This change in total mass balance (TMB) equates to 31.4 ± 1.6 mm (1.24 ± 0.06 in) contribution to sea level rise since 1979. Cumulative Mass Balance Changes from Otosaka et al 2026 Now 1.24 in may not seem like a lot, but we have to remember that this accounting does not account for contributions from ice loss from mountain glaciers or other freshwater contributions to sea level rise. It also does not account for thermal expansion of the oce...