Confirmed decrease of the world’s glacier mass balance

The evident Vernagtferner glacier melting, Tirol - Austria. Since the start of annual mass balance measurements in 1968, the ice loss cumulated to almost 12 metre w.e., with a thickness loss of about 0.5 metre w.e. during 2005.

Source: Commission for Glaciology of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences & Humanities

New data published by the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) confirms the trend in accelerated ice loss during the past two and a half decades and brings the average thickness loss since 1980 of the 30 reference glaciers of 9 mountain ranges (Cascades, Svalbard, Andes, Alaska, Scandinavia, Alps, Altai, Caucasus and Tien Shan) at about 9.6 m (water equiv.). Tentative figures indicate a further thickness reduction of 0.7 m and 0.6 m during 2004 and 2005, respectively.