Chapter 13 - Glaciers and Sea Level Rise

Abstract

Glaciers and ice sheets cover about 10% of Earth’s land surface. Most mountain glaciers have been retreating since the end of the “Little Ice Age.” The present volume of Earth’s glacier ice, if totally melted, represents about 80 m in potential sea level rise. Sea level changes, especially in densely populated, low-lying coastal areas and on islands, have significant effects on human activities and facilities. Recent research on the current sea level rise budget indicates that the contribution from land ice has increased by 60% over the last decade. In this chapter, we introduce glacier modeling with various degrees of complexity and estimate glacial contributions to sea level rise.