Since 1994, Earth lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice
The scientists analysed the glaciers, mountains and ice sheets between 1994 to 2017, to measure the loss of ice coverage and to identify the impact of global warming.
Since 1994, the earth has lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice from its surface, triggering fear of a dramatic rise in sea levels, scientists from Leeds and Edinburgh universities and University College London have analysed.
The scientists analysed the glaciers, mountains and ice sheets between 1994 to 2017, to measure the loss of ice coverage and to identify the impact of global warming.
Describing the loss as “staggering”, scientists warn that the sea level rise could reach a metre by the end of the century.
In a report by The Guardian, professor Andy Shepherd, director of Leeds University’s Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, said, “to put that in context, every centimetre of sea-level rise means about a million people will be displaced from their low-lying homelands.”
The scientists also warned that the melting of ice is reducing the planet’s ability to reflect solar radiation back into space.
Meanwhile, the cold water from glaciers is disrupting biological health of Arctic and Antarctic waters significantly, while the loss of glaciers in the mountains is threatening fresh water source on which the many local communities depend.