Polar Ice Loss Lifted Seas Over 1.1 Inches
Polar Ice Loss Lifted Seas Over 1.1 Inches
The News
Greenland and Antarctica have lost 11.3 trillion tonnes of ice since the 1970s, raising global sea levels by more than 1.1 inches, according to a new study reported Wednesday.
The Independent, citing the same research, put the figure at 12.5 trillion tons of ice melted since 1979 — a 47-year satellite record.
The bigger finding is what is driving it. Gizmodo reports the main driver is not surface melting but glaciers that are speeding up as they push ice off the land and into the sea.
The Numbers
11.3 trillion tonnes — ice lost from Greenland and Antarctica since the 1970s.
12.5 trillion tons — the loss since 1979, as reported by The Independent.
More than 1.1 inches (3cm) — the resulting rise in global sea levels.
Timeline
The satellite record used by the researchers begins, giving scientists a continuous 47-year measurement of the two ice sheets.
Greenland and Antarctica shed 11.3 trillion tonnes of ice, adding more than 1.1 inches to global sea levels.
The findings are published and picked up by outlets including The Independent, Gizmodo and the Daily Mail.
Reactions
The researchers behind the study frame the result as evidence that accelerating glaciers — ice flowing faster off land into the ocean — are the dominant force behind polar ice loss, rather than melting at the surface, according to Gizmodo's account of the work.
Coverage has split on emphasis more than on the facts. The Independent leads on the scale of the loss over the satellite era; the Daily Mail leads on the sea-level number that comes out of it. All three outlets report the same core finding.
What's Next
The study gives scientists a longer baseline than earlier estimates, and the question it raises is whether the glacier speed-up the researchers identify continues at the same pace — because that, not surface melt, is what would set the trajectory for sea levels from here.
Expect the figures to be contested and refined as other teams check them against their own satellite records.
More
Sea-level rise measured in inches sounds small, but it is a global average spread across every coastline — which is why researchers track it in fractions of an inch over decades rather than in dramatic annual jumps.
Poll
How much should polar ice loss factor into US policy?
Amnesty Names 87 Iranians Behind Protest Crackdown
EU Chief Proposes Social Media Ban Under 13
Sep 16, 2026
Gaza Building Collapse Kills 12, Dozens Trapped
Sep 16, 2026
English Village Votes to Secede Over Asylum Camp
Sep 16, 2026
Seoul Court Orders North Korea to Pay $32.5M
Sep 16, 2026
Saudis Down Houthi Drone Near Mecca
Sep 16, 2026
Coast Guard Boards Texas-Bound Tanker After Cyberattack
Sep 16, 2026
House Votes 220-204 to End Trump's Iran War
Sep 16, 2026
Helicopter Crashes at LA Crash Scene, One Dead
Sep 16, 2026
Russians Charged in Plot to Kill Ukraine Allies
Sep 16, 2026
Fed Set to Hike Rates, Defying Trump
Sep 16, 2026
Saudi Pipeline Attack Drives Diesel to Record High
Sep 16, 2026
124 Land Defenders Killed; Colombia Deadliest Again
Sep 16, 2026
UK Advisers: Heathrow Runway Clashes With Climate Goals
Sep 16, 2026
Two Democrats Again Rescue GOP Floor Vote
Sep 15, 2026
Fetterman Joined Fox Executives at Murdoch Montana Ranch
Sep 15, 2026
Judge Refers Philadelphia DA Krasner for Criminal Probe
Sep 15, 2026
Cook Shifts New Hampshire Senate Race to Toss-Up
Sep 15, 2026
Oversight Holds Leon Black in Contempt Over Epstein
Sep 16, 2026
Paris Court Awards Kardashian 1 Euro for Robbery
Sep 15, 2026
Sep 16, 2026