Study Finds 11.3 Trillion Tons of Polar Ice Lost

Scientists used information from satellites to measure how much ice Greenland and Antarctica lost.

They combined 42 different scientific estimates into one large assessment.

The study found that the two ice sheets lost 11.3 trillion tons of ice from 1979 to 2023.

That is enough ice to make a cube about 23 kilometers tall.

The melted and discharged ice helped raise average sea levels by about one inch.

Much of the loss came from glaciers sending water into the ocean.

This was more important than water melting on the surface of the ice.

The findings show that Greenland and Antarctica are now major contributors to rising sea levels.