Glacier change in Artic Canada: rates, mechanisms and implications for global sea level

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This proposal will assess changes in the mass of Canadian Arctic glaciers over the past 10-30 years and their implications for global sea level. Sea level rise is a concern because land within 1m elevation of present day sea level holds >150 million people worldwide, over $1 trillion of infrastructure, and over $944 billion/year of economic activity. Current rates of sea level change suggest a further rise of at least 0.25 m by 2100, but changes on the order of 0.8 - 2 m are conceivable. Land ice wastage accounts for most of the current sea level rise. Recent dramatic increases in the rates of mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have attracted much attention, but smaller ice masses supply 50-60% of the total sea level rise due to ice melt, and this contribution seems to be growing for reasons that are poorly understood.