Ice loss in Greenland and Antarctica has raised sea levels by 31.4 mm since 1979

The data obtained showed that melting ice from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets had raised the global sea level by approximately 31.4 millimeters since 1979.

The research team compiled 42 separate studies of ice sheets using data from 27 satellite missions. The study was considered the most reliable long-term record yet, detailing changes in two major ice caps over nearly five decades.

Satellite records of the Greenland ice cap date back to 1972, and records of the Antarctic ice cap date back to 1979.

MOST OF THE ICE LOSS IS DUE TO THE OCEAN INFLUENCE

Researchers estimate that 84 percent of ice loss is due to dynamic instability, especially where glaciers meet the ocean.

Ines Otosaka, a glaciologist at Northumbria University in England, stated that more than four-fifths of the ice lost was transferred to the ocean by faster-flowing glaciers rather than melting at the surface. Otosaka emphasized that the long-term trend is due to the dynamic response of ice sheets to the warming ocean.

The remaining 16 percent of ice loss was attributed to atmospheric factors such as surface melting and snowfall.

Oceans continue to absorb much of the heat trapped in the biosphere due to greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. As more heat energy enters ocean systems, waters become warmer and currents become more active.

ATLANTICIZATION AND STRENGTHENING CURRENTS ACCELERATE MELT

Greenland is experiencing a process called "Atlanticization" as warmer waters from the Atlantic move further north than ever before. This threatens the world's second largest ice cap.

In Antarctica, the world's largest ice cap, circumpolar currents are intensifying due to strong winds and warming waters. These currents carry hot waters under the glaciers, accelerating the melting in different ways.

Ice loss, which has accelerated since the 1990s, shows no signs of abating. Although the data between 2020 and 2023 suggest that the Antarctic Peninsula has stabilized, experts state that this is a reflection of short-term weather conditions such as record snowfall in East Antarctica.