Mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 1992 to 2017

Review (2018)

Authors

Brian Gunter Georgia Institute of Technology
Bryant Loomis NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Alan Muir University College London
Grace A. Nield Durham University
Johan Nilsson California Institute of Technology
Brice P.Y. Noël Universiteit Utrecht
Ines Otosaka University of Leeds
Mark E. Pattle IsardSAT
W. Richard Peltier University of Toronto
Nadege Pie The University of Texas at Austin
Roelof Rietbroek Universität Bonn
Scott Luthcke NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Louise Sandberg-Sørensen Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Ingo Sasgen Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Himanshu Save The University of Texas at Austin
B. Scheuchl University of California
Bert Wouters Universiteit Utrecht
More Authors... External organisation
Malcolm McMillan University of Leeds
Daniele Melini National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
Sebastian Mernild Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Universidad de Magallanes
Yara Mohajerani University of California
Philip Moore Newcastle University
Jeremie Mouginot University of California, Université Grenoble Alpes
Gorka Moyano IsardSAT
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Published Date

14-06-2018

Language

English

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Abstract

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is an important indicator of climate change and driver of sea-level rise. Here we combine satellite observations of its changing volume, flow and gravitational attraction with modelling of its surface mass balance to show that it lost 2,720 ± 1,390 billion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2017, which corresponds to an increase in mean sea level of 7.6 ± 3.9 millimetres (errors are one standard deviation). Over this period, ocean-driven melting has caused rates of ice loss from West Antarctica to increase from 53 ± 29 billion to 159 ± 26 billion tonnes per year; ice-shelf collapse has increased the rate of ice loss from the Antarctic Peninsula from 7 ± 13 billion to 33 ± 16 billion tonnes per year. We find large variations in and among model estimates of surface mass balance and glacial isostatic adjustment for East Antarctica, with its average rate of mass gain over the period 1992-2017 (5 ± 46 billion tonnes per year) being the least certain.

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