Study finds Greenland and Antarctica lost over 12 trillion tons
A major new study just found that Greenland and Antarctica have lost over 12 trillion tons of ice since the 1970s, enough to raise global sea levels by more than 1.2-inch.
The research, backed by NASA and ESA, highlights how melting at the poles is speeding up.
Satellite surveys show glaciers sliding faster
Using data from 42 satellite surveys, drawing on a total of 27 satellite missions, scientists say most of the ice loss comes from glaciers sliding faster into the ocean as sea temperatures rise.
Greenland's yearly ice loss peaked at 291 billion tons in the 2010s, while Antarctica's jumped from 53 to over 222 billion tons a year.
Even though there was a brief slowdown recently due to unusual snowfall and mild summers, experts stress this isn't a real turnaround: ongoing monitoring is key to understanding what happens next.