Polar Land Ice Melts

Ice that sat on the land of Greenland and Antarctica has been melting in a long term and accelerating trend. Antarctica is losing land ice at about 125 million tons per year. Greenland is losing it at about 287 million tons per year. Combined that’s a loss of 412 millions tons per year. The trend has accelerated since 2009. Both are seeing ice melt events that exceeded conservative estimates. Both land masses are significant contributors to sea level rise. The loss of highly reflective ice is also a contributor to global warming. Both polar oceans are receiving fresh water that is raising sea levels, and also shifting cold and warm sea currents. A hundred million tons here, a hundred million tons there, and coastal climates, fishing grounds, and weather patterns change. No significant human action can stop or reverse these trends before billions of tons have melted.

“Land Ice” – NASA Climate Change