Changes in the Velocity Structure of the Greenland Ice SheetThis year 2006 mass balance study of the Greenland continent by Rignot and Kanagaratnam combined satellite interferometry measurements of coastal glacier motion with modeled-based and observational estimates of mass buildup of the interior plateau (including meltwater runoff). They found widespread glacier acceleration resulting in a net mass loss that has been accelerating since at least 1996, increasing Greenland’s contribution to global sea-level rise.

Recent Greenland Ice Mass Loss by Drainage System from Satellite Gravity ObservationsThis year 2006 mass balance study of the Greenland continent by Rignot and Kanagaratnam combined satellite interferometry measurements of coastal glacier motion with modeled-based and observational estimates of mass buildup of the interior plateau (including meltwater runoff). They found widespread glacier acceleration resulting in a a net mass loss that has been accelerating since at least 1996, increasing Greenland’s contribution to global sea-level rise.

Recent Ice-Sheet Growth in the Interior of GreenlandThis year 2005 satellite interferometry study found that Greenland’s interior plateau was growing due to increased precipitation which in turn, was related an up-cycle in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Since it was first published global warming skeptics have been citing it as proof that Greenland is not contributing to sea-level rise, and carefully avoiding mention of the fact that it concentrated on the Greenland interior only and not the coastal areas where there have been larger losses during most of the study period examined (see the other studies linked on this page).

Arctic Sea Ice decline in the 21st CenturyThis article from RealClimate discusses what is currently known about the future of sea-ice in the Arctic. A declining Arctic sea-ice pack will have severe impacts on wildlife such as polar bear populations, which depend on the annual sea-ice season for access to seals (a primary food source). Arctic sea-ice also plays an important role in regulating the thermohaline circulation of the world’s oceans, and through it regional climates around the globe.

Sea Level, Ice, and Greenhouses--FAQThis is a reprint of a 1997 contribution to the SCI-Environment newsgroup by Robert Grumbine of the NOAA NCEP Marine Modeling and Analysis Branch in Camp Springs, MD. Though somewhat dated in terms of the most recent developments in polar ice-cap trends, it gives an excellent, and very readable overview of sea-level rise and its relationship to the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

Sea-Level Rise & Global Climate Change: A Review of Impacts to U.S. CoastsThis year 2000 report from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change reviews the potential impacts to coastal U.S. communities from the most likely sea-level rise scenarios for the coming century.