World News for Students of English

25-09-2026 07:00

A major scientific study reveals that Greenland and Antarctica have lost 12.5 trillion tonnes of ice since 1979.

This massive loss has raised global sea levels by approximately 3.2 centimetres. Based on more than four decades of satellite observations, researchers found that while the ice sheets remained relatively stable through the 1970s and 1980s, melting accelerated significantly in the 1990s and reached its fastest rate during the 2010s. Rising air and ocean temperatures drive this destruction, with warmer seawater responsible for about 84 percent of the ice loss by melting glaciers from below.

In Greenland, the Jakobshavn glacier is now retreating by up to 50 metres per day. Experts warn that for every centimetre of sea level rise, two to three million additional people face annual coastal flooding. Although ice loss temporarily slowed between 2020 and 2023 due to short-term weather patterns, scientists emphasize that the long-term melting trend continues.

Difficult words: ice sheet (a massive layer of ice that covers a huge area of land), relatively (in comparison to something else), retreat (to move back or become smaller).

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