Just 3% of Glaciers Account for Over Half of Ice Loss
A new study reveals that glaciers ending in lakes, which account for only 3.2% of the world's glaciers, are responsible for over half of global glacier ice loss. These glaciers are melting 57% faster than those ending on land, highlighting a critical factor in climate change projections.
Why it matters
Improving our understanding of lake-ending glaciers is essential for more accurate predictions of sea-level rise and water resource management in a warming climate.
Glaciers ending in lakes, oceans or ice shelves make up 3.2% of the world's glaciers, but lost 134bn tonnes of ice each year between 2000 and 2019, accounting for more than half of all glacier ice loss, a new study shows.
The team of environmental scientists found that these glaciers tend to be much larger than those ending on land, together covering more than half of the world's glacier area. But for glaciers ending in lakes, size isn't the whole story.
Publishing their findings in Nature Communications, the researchers found that glaciers ending in lakes lost ice around 57% faster, relative to their size, than those ending on land over the same period.
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