Mass loss from the glaciers along the margins of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is increasingly contributing to sea level rise. However, ice loss as a result of accelerated flow, known as dynamic thinning, is so poorly understood that its potential future contribution to sea level remains unpredictable. Here, high-resolution laser altimetry is used to map changes along these ocean margins; the results show that dynamic thinning is more important and extensive than previously thought.
- Hamish D. Pritchard
- Robert J. Arthern
- Laura A. Edwards
