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Climate topic
Ice and Glaciers
Ice and Glaciers brings together related events, pages and calendar moments inside Climate.
Within Climate, Ice and Glaciers tracks the planet's frozen water: glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice, how fast they are shrinking, and what that means for sea level and freshwater supply.
Fresh water held as ice~69%
Land under ice~10%
Sea-level rise / yr~3-4 mm
Warming so far~1.2°C
Ice sheets2
Arctic sea icedeclining
| Largest ice mass | Antarctic Ice Sheet |
|---|---|
| Other ice sheet | Greenland |
| Main pressure | Warming air and oceans |
| Key effects | Rising seas, retreating glaciers |
| Also affects | Freshwater for millions |
| Why it matters | Stores water, reflects sunlight |
| Most glaciers / ice by country | |
|---|---|
| Largest ice sheet | Antarctica |
| Greenland ice | Greenland |
| Most glaciers (Alps) |  Switzerland |
| Arctic ice |  Norway |
Arctic sea ice (Sept)
Long-term decline
1980high
1995
2010
2023low
World Glacier Day