Ice Loss from Greenland and Antarctica

Figure 33.42

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Felix Landerer

This figure appears in chapter 33 of the Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment report.

http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/appendices/climate-science-supplement/graphics/ice-loss-greenland-and-antarctica

Rate of local ice sheet mass loss (in inches of water-equivalent-height per year) from Greenland (left) and Antarctica (right) from 2003 to 2012. The GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites measure changes in the pull of gravity over these two regions. As they lose ice to the oceans, the gravitational pull of Greenland and Antarctica is reduced. Analyses of GRACE data have now proven that both of the major ice sheets are currently contributing to global sea level rise due to ice loss. Over the periods plotted here, Greenland lost enough ice to raise sea level at a rate of 0.028 inches per year (0.72 mm/yr), and Antarctica lost ice at a rate that caused 0.0091 inches of sea level rise per year (0.24 mm/yr). (Figure source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (left) updated from Velicogna and Wahr 2013;b21d6677-8e22-4714-b8c3-9eac39a15cc0 (right) updated from Ivins et al. 2013 453ecdc3-bf9f-4e7a-b4d9-0a349a5a8c73).

When citing this figure, please reference NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (left) updated from Velicogna and Wahr 2013;b21d6677-8e22-4714-b8c3-9eac39a15cc0 (right) updated from Ivins et al. 2013 453ecdc3-bf9f-4e7a-b4d9-0a349a5a8c73.

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This figure was created on August 05, 2013.

This figure was derived from Time-variable gravity observations of ice sheet mass balance: Precision and limitations of the GRACE satellite data using the activity nca3-ice-loss-greenland-antarctica-activity-1. (This figure provides quantitative estimates of ice sheet mass loss rates. The data were obtained from JPL and the figures were updated from two articles.)

References :

• Time-variable gravity observations of ice sheet mass balance: Precision and limitations of the GRACE satellite data (b21d6677)
• Antarctic contribution to sea level rise observed by GRACE with improved GIA correction (453ecdc3)

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