GoKawiilStudy: Antarctica and Greenland lost 11 trillion tons of ice since 1970s, glacier flow to blame
A new scientific analysis finds that the polar ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland have shed more than 11 trillion tons of ice since the 1970s. Researchers say the primary cause of this loss is not surface melting from warmer air, but glaciers accelerating and discharging ice into the ocean more quickly.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This shifts the scientific understanding of how ice sheets are collapsing, pointing to dynamic ice loss—glaciers sliding faster into the sea—as a bigger contributor than previously assumed. That distinction matters for climate models predicting sea-level rise, since glacier acceleration can be harder to forecast and potentially more abrupt than gradual surface melt.
- Over 11 trillion tons of polar ice lost since the 1970s
- Accelerating glacier flow, not surface melt, is the main driver
- Findings could reshape sea-level rise projections and climate models
Source: gizmodo.com, 2026-09-16
Published there as: “Polar Ice Sheets Have Lost 11 Trillion Tons of Ice—and ‘Speeding’ Glaciers Are Driving the Loss”
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