--- chapters: [] contact_email: 'kolian.michael@epa.gov, wgms@geo.uzh.ch' contact_note: ~ contributors: - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/contributor/3777.yaml id: 3777 organization: country_code: US identifier: us-environmental-protection-agency international: ~ name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency organization_type_identifier: federal url: http://www.epa.gov/ organization_uri: /organization/us-environmental-protection-agency person: first_name: Michael id: 2200 last_name: Kolian middle_name: ~ orcid: 0000-0002-7134-8317 url: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mike_Kolian person_id: 2200 person_uri: /person/2200 role_type_identifier: contributing_author uri: /contributor/3777 - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/contributor/25228.yaml id: 25228 organization: country_code: US identifier: us-environmental-protection-agency international: ~ name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency organization_type_identifier: federal url: http://www.epa.gov/ organization_uri: /organization/us-environmental-protection-agency person: first_name: Michael id: 2200 last_name: Kolian middle_name: ~ orcid: 0000-0002-7134-8317 url: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mike_Kolian person_id: 2200 person_uri: /person/2200 role_type_identifier: point_of_contact uri: /contributor/25228 - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/contributor/25229.yaml id: 25229 organization: country_code: CH identifier: world-glacier-monitoring-service international: 1 name: World Glacier Monitoring Service organization_type_identifier: consortium url: 'http://wgms.ch ' organization_uri: /organization/world-glacier-monitoring-service person: first_name: Michael id: 12857 last_name: Zemp middle_name: ~ orcid: 0000-0003-2391-7877 url: https://www.geo.uzh.ch/geolean/en/units/3g/staff/?content=michaelzemp person_id: 12857 person_uri: /person/12857 role_type_identifier: point_of_contact uri: /contributor/25229 - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/contributor/25230.yaml id: 25230 organization: country_code: CH identifier: world-glacier-monitoring-service international: 1 name: World Glacier Monitoring Service organization_type_identifier: consortium url: 'http://wgms.ch ' organization_uri: /organization/world-glacier-monitoring-service person: {} person_id: ~ person_uri: ~ role_type_identifier: data_producer uri: /contributor/25230 doi: ~ files: - file: a1/c6/47aeb06b18a448849e8a9b4068f8/ArcticGlaciers_8_23_17.jpg href: https://data.globalchange.gov/assets/a1/c6/47aeb06b18a448849e8a9b4068f8/ArcticGlaciers_8_23_17.jpg identifier: 496abea3-d947-4ab4-84a3-9db9f011f0d4 landing_page: ~ location: ~ mime_type: image/jpeg sha1: aef0827271b223e8db77dc059a0d702c0ce09b69 size: 229544 thumbnail: a1/c6/47aeb06b18a448849e8a9b4068f8/.thumb-496abea3-d947-4ab4-84a3-9db9f011f0d4.png thumbnail_href: https://data.globalchange.gov/assets/a1/c6/47aeb06b18a448849e8a9b4068f8/.thumb-496abea3-d947-4ab4-84a3-9db9f011f0d4.png uri: /file/496abea3-d947-4ab4-84a3-9db9f011f0d4 url: /assets/a1/c6/47aeb06b18a448849e8a9b4068f8/ArcticGlaciers_8_23_17.jpg href: https://data.globalchange.gov/report/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016.yaml identifier: indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016 parents: [] publication_year: 2016 regions: [] report_figures: - gcmd_keywords: - definition: ~ identifier: 76b8c21c-c221-4724-86ef-c07222cb152b label: CRYOSPHERIC INDICATORS parent_identifier: 23703b6b-ee15-4512-b5b2-f441547e2edf - definition: Mass balance describes the net gain or loss of snow and ice through a given year. It is usually expressed in terms of water gain or loss. identifier: 6095d796-68e0-4c7d-aa4f-f2e5bd8c4916 label: GLACIER MASS BALANCE/ICE SHEET MASS BALANCE parent_identifier: 2d79af4f-d15f-40cc-b0bf-8f5c8eb1fce5 href: https://data.globalchange.gov/report/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016/figure/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016.yaml regions: [] uri: /report/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016/figure/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016 report_findings: [] report_tables: - gcmd_keywords: [] href: https://data.globalchange.gov/report/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016/table/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016.yaml regions: [] uri: /report/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016/table/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016 report_type_identifier: indicator summary: "Key Points:\r\n\r\n1. This indicator shows the cumulative change in mass balance, or the net gain or loss of snow and ice (accumulation vs. melting and sublimation), since 1945 of eight routinely-measured glaciers located north of the Arctic Circle. The measurements are in meters of water equivalent, which is equivalent to the mass loss of the glacier, and representative of changes in the average thickness of a glacier. Cumulative change is determined from the base year of 1970, the first year in which all eight glaciers had annual mass balance data.\r\n\r\n2. Since 1945, the eight Arctic glaciers have experienced a decline in mass balance overall. One exception to this pattern is Engabreen, near the subpolar zone along the coast of Norway, which gained mass over the period of record. This trend is anomalous and does not reflect the significant global loss of land ice as measured and catalogued from numerous glaciers elsewhere in the Arctic and around the world in the 20th century. Engabreen is more strongly influenced by precipitation than glaciers elsewhere in the Arctic.\r\n\r\n3. The loss of land-based ice in the Arctic has accelerated in recent decades, contributing to sea level rise. Glaciers are important as an indicator of climate change as they provide visible, enduring, evidence of changes in temperature and precipitation.\r\n\r\nRapid changes are occurring across the Arctic where air temperatures are warming twice as fast as the global average temperature. The loss of land-based ice in the Arctic has accelerated in recent decades and since at least 1972, the Arctic has been the dominant source of global sea-level rise. After Greenland, the largest contributor to global sea-level rise from Arctic land ice, are the Arctic’s glaciers. If increases in greenhouse gas concentrations continue at current rates, it is expected that many of the smallest glaciers across the Arctic would disappear entirely by mid-century. Glaciers are important as an indicator of climate change and provide visible evidence of changes in temperature and precipitation.\r\n\r\nThis indicator shows the cumulative change in the mass balance of Arctic glaciers. The indicator focuses on a set of eight routinely-measured glaciers located at a latitude of 66°N or higher with data beginning in 1945. The overall Arctic average change in mass balance declined, consistent with the retreat of glaciers observed in other parts of the world. The Engabreen glacier, situated near the coast of Norway, gained mass over the period of record, is more strongly influenced by precipitation than glaciers elsewhere in the Arctic." title: 'Indicator: Arctic Glacier Mass Balance' uri: /report/indicator-arctic-glacier-mass-balance-2016 url: ~