Satellite Record Shows 11 Trillion Tonnes of Ice Lost, Glaciers Speeding Into Ocean

A new analysis of the longest satellite record of ice‑sheet change confirms that Greenland and Antarctica have shed 11 trillion tonnes of ice since the 1970s, raising global sea level by more than three centimetres. The study also finds that the glaciers draining these ice sheets are accelerating, transporting larger volumes of ice directly into the ocean. The combined effect of surface melt and faster glacier flow underscores a rapid decline in polar ice mass. The data, compiled by the European Space Agency, highlight a clear trend of increasing ice loss over the past five decades and point to a growing contribution of glacier discharge to sea‑level rise.