Glaciers

Between 1994 and 2017, an incredible 28 trillion tonnes (31 trillion tons) of ice was lost from the Earth’s ice sheets, glaciers, and mountains, according to a new report in the journal The Cryosphere. The extent of this worldwide melting has been described as “staggering” by the study authors, who warn that the ongoing loss of ice could lead to catastrophic rises in sea levels. Researchers from University College London, Leeds University, and Edinburgh University studied satellite data in order to determine global changes in ice coverage over several decades. Speaking to The Guardian, study author Andrew Shepherd explained that “in the past researchers have studied individual areas – such as the Antarctic or Greenland – where ice is melting. But this is the first time anyone has looked at all the ice that is disappearing from the entire planet.”