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Abstract:
We generate for the first time a high spatial and temporal record of ice loss across glaciers globally from CryoSat-2 swath interferometric radar altimetry, demonstrating that radar altimetry can now be used alongside GRACE and DEM differencing for global glacier mass balance assessments from space. Between 2010 and 2020, glaciers lost a total of 272 ± 11 Gt/yr of ice, equivalent to a loss of 2% of their total volume during the 10-year study period. All years observed experienced ice loss, however there is considerable variation in the rates of loss from year to year. Between 2010 and 2020, glaciers have contributed 0.75 ± 0.03 mm/yr to SLR, equivalent to the loss of both ice sheets combined over the same period, and equivalent to about 25% of global sea-level budget. We then partitioned mass change into surface mass balance and change in ice discharge. Between 2010 and 2020, surface mass balance was responsible for 90% of the global glacier mass loss. In Antarctica, Patagonia, and in the Barents and Kara sea regions, increasing ice discharge played a significant role on, and sometimes dominated, the mass budget.
