Ice Sheets - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet Antarctica is losing ice mass (melting) at an average rate of about 136 billion tons per year, and Greenland is losing about 267 billion tons per year, adding to sea level rise
Warming seas and melting ice sheets – Climate Change: Vital Signs of . . . What scientists do know is that warming Arctic temperatures — and a darkening surface on the Greenland ice sheet — are causing so much summer melting that it is now the dominant factor in Greenland's contribution to sea level rise
Global Ice Viewer - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet Ice, which covers 10 percent of Earth's surface, is disappearing rapidly Select a topic below to see how climate change has affected glaciers, sea ice, and continental ice sheets worldwide
Arctic Sea Ice Minimum | NASA Global Climate Change The animated map below shows the minimum size of the Arctic sea ice measured each year since 1979, based on satellite observations The 2012 sea ice extent is the lowest in the satellite record Sea ice extent is one of three key sea ice metrics
Ice Melt Linked to Accelerated Regional Freshwater Depletion Seven of the regions that dominate global ice mass losses are melting at an accelerated rate, a new study shows, and the quickened melt rate is depleting freshwater resources that millions of people depend on
Sea Level - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet Sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: the added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, and the expansion of seawater as it warms The first graph tracks the change in global sea level since 1993, as observed by satellites
Greenland, Antarctica Melting Six Times Faster Than in the 1990s The resulting meltwater boosted global sea levels by 0 7 inches (17 8 millimeters) Together, the melting polar ice sheets are responsible for a third of all sea level rise Of this total sea level rise, 60 percent resulted from Greenland's ice loss and 40 percent resulted from Antarctica's
Arctic Ice Melt Is Changing Ocean Currents A major ocean current in the Arctic is faster and more turbulent as a result of rapid sea ice melt, a new study from NASA shows The current is part of a delicate Arctic environment that is now flooded with fresh water, an effect of human-caused climate change
Climate Time Machine - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet Satellite observations show that the polar ice sheets shed a combined 418 billion metric tons of ice per year between 2002 and 2023, contributing the most to global sea level rise The leading cause of this melt is the human burning of fossil fuels