Global glaciers see record losses in 2025: study
Earth's glaciers lost about 408 gigatonnes of ice in 2025, contributing roughly 1.1 millimeters to global sea-level rise, an international study reveals, Xinhua reports.
The World Glacier Monitoring Service study involving an Australian scientist found that 2025 was the sixth-worst year for glacier loss since records began in 1975, according to a recent statement from Australia's Monash University.
"The fact that six of the most extreme loss years have all occurred within the past seven years highlights just how rapidly the system is changing," said Levan Tielidze, Monash University research fellow, co-author of the study.
The past decade has seen a dramatic acceleration in ice loss, with annual losses nearly four times higher than those observed in the late 20th century, said the study published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
The results underscore the scale and urgency of ongoing glacier decline, Tielidze said.
Glaciers worldwide have shed nearly 9,600 gigatonnes of ice since 1975, enough to raise sea levels by about 26 millimeters, with almost 80 percent of the loss occurring since 2000, the study showed.
The study reported that all 19 major glacier regions lost mass for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, with the largest losses in Western North America and Central Europe.
"Every fraction of a degree matters; reducing warming will directly reduce future glacier loss and its impacts," Tielidze said
