By combining changes in elevation with other data, scientists have developed a method for estimating the thickness of debris covering glaciers on whose water more than 800 million people depend.
Mass balance
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Melting Ice Could Reveal Toxic Cold War Era Waste in Greenland
Unforeseen political disputes could arise as countries assess who's responsible for the cleanup of the Cold War relics.
Posted inScience Updates
Charting Ice Sheet Contributions to Global Sea Level Rise
An international team produced an integrated assessment of polar ice mass losses in 2012. Now efforts to provide an up-to-date assessment are under way, with an open invitation for participation.
Posted inOpinions
What Darkens the Greenland Ice Sheet?
Limited observational data sets and incomplete surface energy balance models constrain understanding of the driving processes for Greenland's ice sheet.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Researchers Track Moving Ice Shelves to Estimate Antarctic Ice Loss
A new method will help scientists monitor the basal melt of ice sheets in Antarctica.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Human Actions Affect Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance
Scientists address human-driven trends in the Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance.
Posted inScience Updates
Assessing Approaches for Determination of Liquid Water in Snow
Liquid Water in Snow—Measurement Techniques and Modeling Approaches;
Davos, Switzerland, 2–4 April 2014