The European State of the Climate (ESOTC) 2025 report released today, paints a picture of accelerated rising temperatures across the globe, with Europe warming at more than double the speed of the global average.
The report points to the latest assessment of ice mass balance from the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Project (IMBIE) led by CPOM’s Co-Director of Science Dr Inès Otosaka, which shows ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet at 139 billion tonnes during 2025* (see figure 1).
Fig 1: Figure 1. (Left) Cumulative glacier mass change (Gt) for European glacier regions from 1976 to 2025. Gt = gigatonnes = 1 billion tonnes. Data: WGMS. Credit: WGMS/C3S/ECMWF. (Right) Greenland Ice Sheet ice flow velocity for the 2025 hydrological year. Data: IMBIE, ENVEO. Credit: ENVEO/C3S/ECMWF.
The polar ice sheets, in Greenland and Antarctica, store a significant proportion of the Earth’s freshwater. When they melt, they contribute this freshwater to the oceans, not only increasing sea levels, but also affecting ocean circulation. Estimates of the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets mass balance produced by IMBIE, an international collaboration of polar scientists led by CPOM and supported by the space agencies ESA and NASA, are used in this report’s key climate indicator on Ice Sheets.
The report also includes other events across the cryosphere related to warming, including a three-week heatwave in sub-Arctic Fennoscandia with Arctic temperatures going over 30°C*. Glaciers across Europe also retreated, including in Iceland where the country saw the second worst loss of glaciers in recorded history*.
Rising sea surface temperatures, marine heatwaves, reduced river flows, and extensive wildfires are included in the report as key impacts of the rapid warming*.
With 100 scientific contributors, including experts in cold environments, the report features graphics and visuals reflecting the most up-to-date data, providing an all-encompassing view of the state of the climate and important changes in climate indicators impacting the continent.
Climate change, and the associated impact on the cryosphere, affects ecosystems around the world. Although the report references important actions in European policy and frameworks focussing on improving ecosystem resilience, this report calls for enhanced and ‘accelerating’ progress in protecting nature and biodiversity, in light of rapidly increasing changes in the climate.
About IMBIE
The IMBIE Project (Ice Sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Project) was launched in 2011, and funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. IMBIE aims to reconcile satellite-based measurements of ice sheet mass balance through community efforts, to reduce uncertainties in estimates of Antarctica and Greenland ice loss and constrain projections of future sea level rise. Data produced by the IMBIE Team are widely used by leading organisations, including by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The IMBIE Team has produced three assessments during this period, in 2012, 2018 and 2023.
It is with great sadness that the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) learned of the passing of Professor Lord Julian Hunt of Chesterton. We write to convey our deepest condolences to his family and all who were close to him.
Julian was an early and influential member of CPOM when the Centre was established at University College London, and his involvement in those early years left an enduring mark on what it became. He brought to CPOM a wealth of experience that few could match. Having served as Director General and Chief Executive of the Met Office from 1992 to 1997 — one of the most senior scientific leadership roles in British science — he arrived at UCL with an exceptional command of atmospheric dynamics, environmental fluid mechanics, and the practical demands of weather and climate prediction at the highest level. It was this breadth, spanning fundamental theory and real-world application, that made his contribution to CPOM’s early meteorological programme so distinctive.
At CPOM, Julian led research into polar atmospheric boundary layer processes and mesoscale meteorology — the complex dynamics of atmospheric flows over polar surfaces, coastlines, and topography that are so critical to understanding the cryosphere. This work was both theoretically rigorous and of direct practical relevance to polar forecasting. He collaborated widely, producing research that made a lasting contribution to the field. His work included studies of Coriolis effects in mesoscale flows with sharp changes in surface conditions as well as investigations into the influence of coastal geometry and surface discontinuities on polar wind patterns. Together they also advanced understanding of how changing surface heat fluxes affect atmospheric boundary-layer flow, work carried out with colleagues across several institutions and reflective of Julian’s natural gift for building international scientific collaborations.
Those of us fortunate enough to work alongside Julian remember him not only for his formidable intellect, but for the tremendous energy and kindness he brought to everything he did. He was warm and thoughtful in equal measure, and made those around him feel both challenged and supported. He had an inexhaustible enthusiasm for ideas and for the people pursuing them. Beyond his science, Julian stood apart for his fierce commitment to social justice and his deep conviction that science must serve the public good. These values animated his work and his public life in equal measure. He was also a man who spoke openly and proudly of his family, and it was clear to all who knew him that they were his greatest source of pride.
Julian’s legacy lives on in the work of CPOM and in the many researchers whose careers and thinking he shaped. He will be greatly missed, and fondly remembered.
With our sincere condolences,
Professor Andrew Shepherd, CPOM Director Professor Sir Duncan Wingham, Founding CPOM Director Dr Andrew Orr Professor Danny Feltham Ms Leisa Clemente
Clip taken from A Sentinel-3 flyover over Mertz Glacier, East Antarctica, showing the echoes recorded by the altimeter. CREDIT: Dr Joe Phillips (Lancaster University). Full video and code available at https://github.com/Joe-Phillips/SAR-Altimetry-Flyover-Visualiser.
Between 1979 and 2023, the Antarctic Ice Sheet lost on average 107 Gt of ice per year, contributing a total of 13.4 mm to sea level rise. As global temperatures continue to rise, accelerated melting is expected as well as increased contributions to global sea levels.
Tracking that loss accurately depends on satellites measuring ice sheet height from space and on understanding exactly how robust those measurements are over complex terrains in the cryosphere.
New research from CPOM, published last week in The Cryosphere led by Joe Phillips and Mal McMillan at Lancaster University used REMA, the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica, a highly detailed map, to assess of the Sentinel-3 radar altimeter’s performance across the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
About Sentinel 3
Sentinel-3 has provided operational SAR altimetry coverage of Antarctica since 2016. Although primarily designed for ocean and land monitoring, it includes a high-resolution radar altimeter capable of measuring ice sheet elevation and sea ice thickness change. Thus, it a valuable operational complement to ESA’s CryoSat-2 Earth Explorer mission, the first such radar altimeter satellite primarily dedicated to studying the Earth’s ice.
Radar altimeters, like Sentinel-3’s however face a challenge in that measurement quality tends to degrade where terrain gets steep and rough, such as at the margins of ice sheets.
The study
The research used REMA to assess how accurately Sentinel-3 captures measurements over the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s complex terrain. Recent advances in data processing have allowed more data to be retrieved with over 94% of acquisitions successfully capturing the point of closest on the ice surface. A key requirement for reliable data is that the instrument records the point of closest approach on the ice surface, something made harder by Sentinel-3’s relatively narrow 60 m measurement window.
In this regard, the study showed how increasing the window size made a substantial difference. For example, with a 240 m window, like that operated by CryoSat-2, there was near-complete (99%) surface capture across the entire ice sheet, including the most complex margins (compared to a mean capture of 90.6% at 60 m). This is an important consideration for future missions, such as the Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL).
About Radar Altimetry
Radar altimetry works by firing pulses of microwave energy at Earth’s surface, timing how long it takes for the echo to return, giving a precise measurement of surface elevation. The echoes are recorded as a power waveform, (the echo returning through time), and the elevation measurement is taken from the first steep rise of the waveform with the assumption being that this peak relates to the Point of Closest Approach (POCA) giving a single elevation measurement per echo. Satellites return an echo of a limited recording window of time (range window), but if this is misplaced, the echo from the surface can be missed. Although previous assessments of Sentinel-3’s radar have focused on validations of the final elevation products, more detailed assessments of the instrument and processor performance are less common.
About the study
Assessment of the ability of the Sentinel-3 range window to capture the full topographic surface within the beam-limited footprint. Credit: Phillips, J. and McMillan, M.: Assessment of Sentinel-3 altimeter performance over Antarctica using high resolution digital elevation models, The Cryosphere, 2026
The team investigated how much of the ice sheet surface Sentinel-3 captures within its range window, whether the leading edge of the waveform can be attributed to the closest point on the surface, how consistently radar echoes look from one measurement to the next; and the role that key surface topography characteristics such as slope and roughness play on all of these effects.
They analysed over 8 million radar echoes from Sentinel-3A and 3B, comparing the latest processing version (BC-005) against its predecessor (BC-004) and produced accurate, continent-wide maps of ice surface slope and roughness from the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA), a 100 m resolution mosaic built from satellite stereo imagery.
The results of the study found that for 57.4% of acquisitions, capturing 100% of the illuminated surface is impossible with the current 60 m window. It also found that, on average, Sentinel-3’s placement of the range window captured 89.2% of the maximum topographic signal that could be recorded within its range window.
By exploring the hypothetical impact of increasing the window size, the study found that this made a substantial difference. For example, implementing a 240 m window, like with CryoSat-2, there was near-complete surface capture across the entire ice sheet, including the most complex margins (compared to a mean capture of 90.6% at 60 m).
Figure 6 Maximum possible percentage of topography captured with optimal placement of the range window as a function of range window size. The shading shows the variability across records in the percentage of topographic capture, characterised by the standard deviations and limited at its maximum to 100 %. Credit: Phillips, J. and McMillan, M.: Assessment of Sentinel-3 altimeter performance over Antarctica using high resolution digital elevation models, The Cryosphere, 2026
The study also produced the first slope-independent roughness map of the entire Antarctic continent (to their knowledge). The code for this can be found at https://github.com/Joe-Phillips/SAR-Altimetry-Flyover-Visualiser and a clip of the animation can be seen at the top of this article.
The future of radar altimetry for monitoring Antarctica
This bodes well for future retrievals from the CRISTAL mission, with its 256 m window. CRISTAL is ESA’s next-generation polar ice altimeter, planned for launch in 2027, and the successor of the CryoSat-2 mission.
By identifying and quantifying one of the main challenges of previous generations of altimetry – performance over complex Antarctic terrain – this study provides a strong evidence base for the next generation of instruments.
It’s vital we have the most accurate understanding of current and future ice loss, so we can plan for future changes in global sea levels.
The only way this is possible is by assessing, calibrating and improving the data we retrieve from satellite missions like Sentinel-3 and CryoSat-2 and informing future satellite missions like CRISTAL.
A study published in Geophysical Research Letters on 09 March 2026 projects that by 2067, ice loss from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica could be 180-200 billion tons of ice per year, almost the current annual losses from the entire Antarctic ice sheet.
The study, led by Dr Dan Goldberg (University of Edinburgh) with co-authors Professor Noel Gourmelen (University of Edinburgh) and Professor Mathieu Morlighem (Dartmouth), tested two independent ice sheet models (STREAMICE and ISSM), training them using two types of satellite observation: velocity change from interferometry, and surface elevation data from altimetry missions.
The research found that calibrating models solely using surface elevation change data produced volume change predictions which were ten times more accurate than those using ice speed data. This shows the choice of calibration method has a significant effect on long-term projections.
Goldberg, D. N., Morlighem, M., & Gourmelen, N. (2026). Recent observations of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica are consistent with high rates of loss in next 50 years. Geophysical Research Letters, 53, e2025GL118823. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL118823
News feature image credit: Professor Andrew Shepherd
This International Women’s Day, we want to highlight how important it is to support girls to study STEM at school. This blog by CPOM PhD Researcher Alicia Fallows (UCL), explains how her teachers and family encouraged her journey into polar science, which has already taken her to the Arctic Circle.
How a love of Physics at school led Alicia to the Arctic Circle
I’ve always adored the natural world and based upon my favourite subject at A-Level decided to pursue my undergraduate degree in Physics as a way to delve into this planet and its components.
Along the way I became very interested in quantum physics, something I still find fascinating, and followed a Master’s in a similar field. Towards the end of my Master’s I realised I wanted to apply my skills to something more tangible and come back to my love for the natural wonders of this planet, encouraged even more so in the context of climate change.
After working for a few years, I found the London NERC DTP as a perfect way to come back to research with a brilliant network of academics offering exciting PhD projects. By this time, I knew I wanted to focus on snow and ice, in part due to a love of glaciers formed visiting Mont Blanc when I was 17, as well as from watching David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet! I also felt the cryosphere was being heavily impacted by our changing climate.
I didn’t set out for a project specifically dedicated to the polar regions, as I didn’t even know it would be something within my reach. After meeting with my (now) supervisor Rosie (Dr Rosemary Willatt, UCL and CPOM), I realised how I could transfer my skills to sea ice and snow physics, with a focus on some of the most remote and important parts of our planet!
I feel lucky to have a family that have always supported me to pursue anything I wanted and additionally encouraged me to cherish our planet by getting outdoors a lot from a young age (not being afraid to get mucky). Time spent outside hiking, often with our beloved dog, and witnessing my families interests in botany, geology and adventure, only made me more interested in the sights I saw and the science behind them.
I was fortunate enough to have a few brilliant science teachers in both school and sixth form college who believed in me and supported my ambitions to study further, as well as showed their passion for physics and chemistry. And some brilliant drama/dance teachers who helped me to build confidence!
My parents were instrumental in my choice to apply to university, and my friends and partner have supported me throughout the years. At university my undergraduate dissertation supervisor was incredibly encouraging and made me believe I was capable to stay within science in the future. Nevertheless, turning up to a physics degree as one of a handful of women, with only a handful of women lecturers, was daunting. I hope we can turn this around further to encourage more girls and women to not only come into science, but to stay in it. Last year I was lucky enough to be part of an all-women field team – so hopefully we are on a good trajectory!
It never occurred to me the range of interdisciplinary subjects that can be studied at university, and being a scientist was never presented to me as a choice at careers meetings. I am grateful to have studied physics and the flexibility this has given me, but I’d like girls to know that there are so many options out there and the path doesn’t always have to be straightforward!
Stories like Alicia’s show why it’s so important to encourage all children and young people to engage with science. That’s we’ve created resources to help parents and teachers introduce children and young people to polar science.
From December 2025 to January 2026 we followed CPOM’s Ali Banwell conducting field research in Antarctica, with a team of scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Maine. In the following series of five videos you can find out more about the techniques they used during their fieldwork and see some of the stunning landscapes they were working on.
About the project
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded this project which is studying the Ice Rumple Zone of the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica – a compressive region of the ice shelf characterized by undulating ice.
The scientists
Alison Banwell (PI) – Northumbria University/University of Colorado Boulder
Ryan Cassotto (Co-PI) – University of Colorado Boulder/University of Maine
Michela Savignano (PhD student) – University of Colorado Boulder
Allie Berry (PhD student) – University of Maine
Chapter 1: Introducing the rumple zone
Chapter 2: Terrestrial Radar Interferometry
Chapter 3: Installing Automatic Weather Stations in Antarctica
Chapter 4: Ground Penetrating Radar and snow machines
The UK Government has published its UK Antarctic Strategy to 2035, setting out the aim to achieve net zero across Antarctic scientific operations by 2040 whilst maintaining Britain’s world-leading position in polar research.
The strategy, released by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, places climate science and environmental sustainability at the heart of UK activities in Antarctica. Through the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme, the UK will decarbonise Antarctic research stations by 2030, with full net zero operations by 2040.
The UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) welcomes this comprehensive approach, which demonstrates how climate research and environmental stewardship can be integrated. CPOM’s work in polar observation and ice sheet modelling directly supports the strategy’s ambition to understand changes in Antarctica as an indicator of climate change whilst minimising the environmental footprint of research activities.
Britain commits to maintaining year-round research operations through the British Antarctic Survey, with continued investment in sustainable infrastructure at stations like Rothera. UK Antarctic science will continue to inform global climate policy and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s assessments, with British scientists making internationally recognised contributions to research on ice sheet stability, sea level change, and climate tipping points.
Environmental protection features prominently, with plans to expand marine protected areas, implement biosecurity protocols against invasive species, and designate vulnerable species for protection, including emperor penguins. The strategy also strengthens the Antarctic Treaty System and develops frameworks for managing growing tourism whilst preserving Antarctic heritage.
This commitment to net zero polar science aligns with initiatives such as the Net Zero Polar Science Doctoral Training Programme, which is currently recruiting its first cohort of researchers to advance sustainable practices in polar research.
In this Q&A, CPOM Professor Ali Banwell discusses why she was honoured to be featured in a STEM colouring book, and why representation matters so much in science careers.
What led you into your career as a polar scientist? Was there somebody or something that initially inspired you to pursue STEM?
My mum was a huge influence. She studied engineering at Cambridge when almost no women did (<1%), and later became a maths teacher, then software engineer. Her confidence in maths and physics – subjects not always ‘cool’ for girls – helped shape mine. I also grew up climbing and hiking in the UK mountains with my aunt, who sparked my curiosity about how glaciers once shaped those landscapes. Even though glaciology wasn’t taught at my school, by the time I reached university I knew I wanted to study Earth sciences, specialising in glaciology specifically.
Can you describe what you’re doing in the image that inspired the drawing in the book? What’s the science behind it (in a nutshell)?
I’m drilling a deep hole into a floating glacier (an ‘ice shelf’) to install a long aluminium pole. We mount geophysical instruments on these poles, such as high-precision GPS units, weather stations, and time-lapse cameras, to measure how the glacier ice moves and changes over time, particularly in response to climate change. The photo was taken on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, close to the U.S. Antarctic research station, McMurdo.
Can you tell us a little more about your research?
Broadly, my research focusses on investigating the impact of Earth’s past and future climate on the cryosphere – so all of Earth’s icy regions – with a current focus on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, including their floating ice shelves.
Specifically, I specialise in integrating satellite Earth Observation techniques, including optical, microwave, and altimetry data, with field observations to investigate ice sheet and ice shelf surface melt and hydrology, and implications of these processes for ice dynamics. I also work closely with numerical modellers to integrate our new observations and process understanding of ice dynamics into models, ultimately to help provide better forecasts of future glacier ice loss and sea level rise.
I am fortunate to have been to Antarctica six times previously, and I’ve just arrived back there now. I’m at McMurdo, the U.S. station at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. Unfortunately, however, I’m a glaciologist who really hates being cold… But I do love penguins!
Where do you see the biggest uncertainties or knowledge gaps in our current understanding of polar ice dynamics, and what will it take to close them?
One of the biggest uncertainties in polar ice dynamics is how quickly ice sheets and ice shelves will respond as the climate continues to warm, including the potential ‘feedbacks’ and ‘tipping points’ that could accelerate change. To reduce these uncertainties, and better constrain future sea-level rise, we need sustained, high-quality Earth Observation records from new satellite missions, supported by targeted fieldwork and modelling. We also need to rethink how we do polar science so that it is more carbon-efficient, whether through using more computationally efficient AI-based models, lower-emission fieldwork logistics, or greater international coordination to minimise our environmental footprint. Closing these knowledge gaps will require long-term investment, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to monitoring and understanding the polar regions in more sustainable ways.
What is your role at CPOM?
I have joined CPOM as a PI in Land Ice/Ice Shelf Earth Observation, and more broadly as a Professor in Glaciology within Northumbria’s School of Geography and Natural Sciences. After 7.5 years in the U.S. at the University of Colorado Boulder, I’m excited to build new collaborations and expand my research horizons within CPOM and the wider UK glaciological and environmental science communities. Working closely with CPOM’s experts in Earth Observation and modelling, across both land ice and sea ice, will strengthen my research and open up new opportunities for interdisciplinary polar science.
What does being featured in a STEM colouring book mean to you, and what advice would you give to early career researchers considering a career in this field?
I was excited to be part of this because I think one of the most meaningful ways to encourage girls of all backgrounds to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) is by providing visible role models. In Antarctic field research in particular, female leadership is still rare, so it’s important for girls to see that women can and do lead world-class field science in these and other environments. Research shows that girls’ engagement in STEM subjects, and later women’s participation in STEM careers, often declines with age/career stage. I hope that being part of this book helps to spark that curiosity and confidence in the next generation!
You can find out more and purchase the book from the link below.
In early November 2025, CPOM Researcher Diego Moral Pombo (Lancaster University) collaborated with artist James Hooton to create “Still Waters Run Deep”, a beautiful light installation, that transformed Lancaster Castle, and brought the Earth’s ice sheets and glaciers to life, as part of the Light Up Lancaster festival 2025.
In this video we take you behind the scenes, from the initial inspiration to the technological innovation that went into translating polar science into an immersive experience using art, light and music. The case study features insights from Diego, James and CPOM Co-Director for Science, Professor Mal McMillan.
Mal explains more about the GLOBE project (Greenland Subglacial Lake Observatory) which uses high resolution satellite imaging and technology to detect, monitor and predict how hidden (subglacial) lakes interact with the ice sheet above. This project, funded via the European Research Council and UK Research and Innovation, formed some of the inspiration for Diego’s concept, alongside other research into ice dynamics at Lancaster University and CPOM.
Diego said when asked why using art to communicate science is important: “Ice loss from the polar regions may feel like something very far away and something that doesn’t really affect us, but it does have a very local impact and it will end up affecting all of us. Just getting more people interested in the science is obviously great and if we get to spark some vocations and motivation in the youngest ones seeing the piece (installation) that would be great.”
Also included in the video is a clip of the illustration by faith-to.design in action, and beautiful original music from Amber Hooton. We have also included a clip of the stunning final installation.
The installation was supported by Lancaster City Council’s climate change team, UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Council, the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and Lancaster University Impact Acceleration Account Programme. It was also part of Lancaster University’s ‘Campus in the City’ event 2025.
This week, scientists joined the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) to launch the ‘Glaciers and Ice Sheets in a Warming World: Impacts and Outcomes’ report, edited by Professor David J. Drewry, which shares crucial UK-led scientific research on ice loss from Earth’s glaciers.
Key Findings
The report presents critical statistics on global glacier decline including:
Glaciers have lost 6,542 billion tonnes of ice since 2000, threatening the water supply of more than a billion people
Ice loss has accelerated by 36% over the past ten years, with glacier melt now accounting for approximately one-third of global sea level rise
Fifteen million people are at risk from glacier lake outburst floods, whilst up to two billion depend on water from glaciers for energy, water and food
Chapter three of the report, authored by CPOM Associate Investigator in Land Ice Earth Observation Noel Gourmelen (University of Edinburgh and Earthwave Ltd) with Livia Jakob (Earthwave Ltd), explores how satellite missions monitor glacier decline from space. Using data from missions including the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2, their chapter incorporates key findings from the Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise (GLAMBIE) Report released earlier this year, which confirmed that since 2000, glaciers have lost 6,542 billion tonnes of ice. Their study also showed that there has been a 36% increase in loss during the second half of the time period (2012-2023) in comparison to the first half of the record (2000-2011).
About CryoSat-2
Launched in 2010, CryoSat-2 transformed our ability to monitor glacier ice from space by offering improved spatial resolution and accuracy, almost-complete polar coverage, and increased measurement density.
What is GLAMBIE?
The GLAMBIE exercise is a collaborative community effort that reconciles 233 estimates from 35 international research teams of ice mass balance from glaciers across all 19 glacierised regions worldwide. By integrating altimetry, gravimetry and DEM (Digital Elevation Model) -based approaches, the GLAMBIE team produces comprehensive and robust estimates for ice loss, which can be used by policymakers and government agencies when planning for future climate scenarios, including IPCC assessments.
Why Monitoring Glaciers Matters
Tracking glacier changes is essential for several reasons:
When glaciers melt, they contribute significantly to global sea levels, impacting millions of people worldwide
Increased glacier melting can cause glacial lakes to collapse, resulting in devastating floods
Many millions of people rely on glacier water for energy, water supplies, crops and livestock
The CRISTAL mission, part of the Copernicus Space Programme and scheduled for launch in 2027, aims to continue CryoSat-2’s legacy. As Noel Gourmelen and Livia Jakob emphasize in the report, it is vital to secure future Earth Observation missions like CRISTAL to ensure ongoing and uninterrupted accurate monitoring of Earth’s ice. Such observations and modelling of future scenarios are essential to inform decision-making around glacier preservation and to support strategies for protecting people and infrastructure from the risks posed by melting ice.
The International Year of Glacier Preservation
This report is timely! The United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Preservation to highlight the importance of glaciers and to ensure that populations who rely on them, as well as those affected by glacier changes, receive the hydrological, meteorological and climate services they need.
