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Shrinking Ice Sheets

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets together store over 99% of the Earth’s freshwater. Due to the
Earth’s warming, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per
year between 1993 and 2019, while Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year.

What are ice sheets, and how do they work? What effects do glacial processes in
Antarctica have upon the continent itself and on the rest of the world?

https://discoveringantarctica.org.uk/oceans-atmosphere-landscape/ice-land-
and-sea/ice-sheets-and-glaciation/

Declining Arctic Sea Ice

Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice have declined rapidly over the last several decades
(figure). Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum each September. September Arctic sea ice is now declining
at a rate of 13% per decade, relative to the 1981 to 2010 average. This graph shows the annual Arctic
sea ice minimum each September since 1979, derived from satellite observations.

Figure. Annual September minimum extent
Data source: Satellite observations. Credit: NSIDC/NASA

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the

information contained therein.