Earth's Polar Ice Loss Exceeds 12 Trillion Tons in 47 Years
WHO:
Fast Company - Eric Rignot, an ice scientist at University of California, Irvine, stated, “The ice sheets are melting away fast.”
Fast Company - Ines Otosaka, an ice scientist at Northumbria University in England, mentioned, “An inch may not sound like much, but for every third of an inch (or centimeter) of sea level rise, another 2 to 3 million people get flooded at least once a year.”
ABC News - A major report has been released regarding polar ice loss.
WHAT:
Fast Company - The study published in the journal Scientific Data indicates that the melting of ice sheets is accelerating, with a clear trend of increasing mass loss from decade to decade.
Fast Company - The study's authors noted that the accelerating trend of ice loss resumed after a pause from 2020 to 2023, which they attributed to short-term weather variations rather than long-term trends.
Fast Company - The study's authors stated that the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is currently retreating up to 164 feet (50 meters) a day.
Fast Company - The study's authors indicated that the ice sheets are losing more mass and that the trend has been increasing from decade to decade.
Fast Company - The study's authors noted that the accelerating numbers seemed to pause from 2020 to 2023, but this was attributed to short-term weather variations rather than long-term trends.
Fast Company - The amount of melted ice is enough to stack ice 5 feet (1.5 meters) deep across the continental United States.
Fast Company - The melting has turned into nearly 3 quadrillion gallons of water (11.3 quadrillion liters), contributing to a global sea level rise of about an inch (3.1 centimeters) since 1979.
Fast Company - The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is now retreating up to 164 feet (50 meters) a day.
ABC News - Earth has lost 12.5 trillion tons of ice from Greenland and Antarctica since 1979.
Phys.org - Greenland and Antarctica have lost 11.3 trillion metric tons of ice since the 1970s, contributing to a global sea level rise of more than 3 centimeters (1.2 inches).
Phys.org - The majority of ice loss is attributed to glaciers flowing faster into the ocean rather than surface melting.
WHERE:
ABC News - The ice loss is specifically from Greenland and Antarctica.
WHEN:
ABC News - The ice loss has been measured over a period of 47 years, starting from 1979.
Phys.org - The ice loss has been tracked since the 1970s.
WHY:
Fast Company - Andrew Shepherd, a study co-author from Northumbria, expressed concern that changes in ice sheets are tracking decades behind global warming, indicating they will continue for decades more even if global heating is halted.
Fast Company - The study's authors indicated that five-sixths of the melt is not due to hotter air but from warmer waters eroding the ice sheets from below and the sides.
Phys.org - The report indicates that the acceleration of glaciers is a significant factor in the ice loss.
HOW:
Fast Company - The international collaboration of polar scientists, led by the European Space Agency, incorporated NASA satellites to extend their analysis of ice sheet volumes in Antarctica back to 1979 and in Greenland back to 1972.
Fast Company - The international team used 45 independent surveys and 27 different satellites to gather data, enhancing confidence in the results.
Fast Company - The international collaboration of polar scientists used 45 independent surveys and 27 different satellites to gather data.
Phys.org - The data comes from the longest satellite record ever assembled, which has been used to measure the ice loss.
(UPDATED September 17, 2026 02:10 UTC)
A new study published in the journal Scientific Data reveals that the melting of ice sheets is accelerating, with a noticeable increase in mass loss occurring from decade to decade. The authors of the study noted that this trend resumed after a brief pause from 2020 to 2023, which they attributed to short-term weather variations rather than long-term shifts. They also highlighted that the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is currently retreating at an alarming rate of up to 164 feet, or 50 meters, each day, based on extensive analysis conducted by an international team of polar scientists using NASA satellites.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 20:04 UTC)
A new study reveals alarming trends in ice sheet melting, with Eric Rignot from the University of California, Irvine, stating that “the ice sheets are melting away fast.” The research, which utilized 45 independent surveys and 27 satellites, indicates that the loss of ice mass is accelerating, although there was a temporary pause in the trend from 2020 to 2023 due to short-term weather variations. Co-author Andrew Shepherd from Northumbria University warns that these changes are lagging behind global warming and will likely continue for decades, even if global heating is halted.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 18:01 UTC)
Recent research reveals that the amount of melted ice is enough to stack ice five feet deep across the continental United States, contributing to nearly three quadrillion gallons of water and a global sea level rise of about an inch since 1979. The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is now retreating at an alarming rate of up to 164 feet a day, with five-sixths of the melt attributed to warmer waters eroding the ice sheets from below and the sides rather than just hotter air. This study was made possible through the collaboration of polar scientists who utilized 45 independent surveys and 27 different satellites to gather their data.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 11:59 UTC)
A major report has revealed that Earth has lost a staggering 12.5 trillion tons of ice from Greenland and Antarctica since 1979, contributing to a global sea level rise of more than 3 centimeters. The majority of this ice loss is attributed to glaciers flowing more rapidly into the ocean rather than surface melting, as tracked by the longest satellite record ever assembled. This significant environmental change has been measured over a period of 47 years, highlighting the urgent need to address the accelerating impact of climate change.