GoKawiilStudy: Greenland and Antarctica have lost 12.5 trillion tons of ice since 1979
A new report published in Scientific Data finds that glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica have shed roughly 12.5 trillion tons of ice since 1979, enough to cover the continental United States in five feet of water. Researchers found that most of this loss—about five-sixths—comes not from warmer air but from ocean water eroding ice sheets from below and along their edges. Scientists cite examples like Greenland's Jakobshavn glacier, which is now retreating up to 164 feet daily.