More than 12 trillion tons of ice lost as climate change accelerates polar melt

More than 12 trillion tons of ice have been lost from Greenland and Antarctica since 1979, according to a major scientific study tracking decades of changes in the world's two largest ice sheets.

The research, published in Scientific Data, found that the equivalent of around 11.3 trillion metric tons of ice has melted or been discharged into the ocean — enough to raise global sea levels by about 3.2 centimetres.

Scientists say most of the loss is being driven not by warmer air, but by oceans warming around the ice sheets.

Inès Otosaka, Ice Scientist, Northumbria University: "From our satellite observations, we've seen that there is a clear trend that the ice sheets are losing more mass and it has been increasing from decade to decade... And that's quite clear that there's a link to climate change."

The study says ice loss accelerated sharply in the 2010s, with scientists warning the effects could continue for decades.

Inès Otosaka: "11.3 trillion tons of ice, but then when you convert to an average global sea level, it's only 3.2 centimeters. But even if it seems like a small number, we know that every centimeter of sea level rise matters."

Scientists estimate each centimetre of sea-level rise puts another two to three million people at risk of annual coastal flooding.