New study: Global glacier melt is accelerating

^{Photo: tovima}
Global glaciers are melting at an accelerating rate, potentially leading to rising sea levels in the coming years. An international team of researchers has found that the rate of glacier loss has increased dramatically over the past decade.

About 36 percent more ice melted between 2012 and 2023 than between 2000 and 2011.

Michael Zemp, a professor at the University of Zurich and co-author of the study, said the results were “surprising” but not unexpected. Regions with smaller glaciers are losing them faster, and many “will not survive this century.”

That's why we're facing a sea level rise that's higher than previously expected by the end of the century, Zemp said.

He noted that the loss of glaciers, especially in Central Asia and the central Andes, will also affect freshwater supplies.

The researchers found that glaciers have lost five percent of their volume since the beginning of the century. This figure varies significantly by region: from two percent in Antarctica to 40 percent in the European Alps.

According to scientists, an average of about 273 billion tons of ice is being lost each year. This amount is equivalent to the water consumption of the entire world population over 30 years.

The study was carried out by the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), the University of Edinburgh and the Earthwave research group.

Professor Martin Siegert of the University of Exeter, who was not involved in the study, called the study "worrying" because it predicts that glaciers will disappear even more.

"Ice sheets are losing mass at an accelerating rate — six times faster than they were 30 years ago. When that changes, we're not talking about centimeters, we're talking about meters," said Siegert.

As Zemp warned, to save the world's glaciers, "we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is such a simple yet complex issue." Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”