![Line graph showing downlward trend of glacier ice mass since 1970](/sites/default/files/2021-07/ClimateDashboard-glacier-mass-balance-graph-20210505-1400px_1.jpg)
Image caption
Ice loss relative to 1970 for the glaciers in the World Glacier Monitoring Service's climate reference network. Glacier mass balance is the annual balance between how much snow accumulates on a glacier and how much ice is lost through melting, sublimation, or iceberg calving. Including the preliminary values for 2019-2020, these glaciers have lost a volume of ice equivalent to about 27.5 meters (90 feet) of water spread out over each glacier. NOAA Climate.gov image, based on data from the WGMS.