A reconciled estimate of ice sheet mass balance

The first IMBIE assessment was published in 2012, showing that between 1992 and 2011, the ice sheets contributed 0.6 mm/yr to the rate of global sea-level rise. By combining an ensemble of satellite altimetry, interferometry, and gravimetry datasets using common geographical regions, time intervals, and models of surface mass balance and glacial isostatic adjustment to estimate the mass balance of Earth’s polar ice sheets, we demonstrated that there is a good agreement between the different satellite methods. Further, we showed that combining multiple satellite datasets led to a greater certainty in the measurements of Antarctica and Greenland mass balance.