title: A reconciled estimate of ice-sheet mass balance.
abstract: We combined an ensemble of satellite altimetry, interferometry, and gravimetry data sets 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 find that there is good agreement between different satellite methods--especially in Greenland and West Antarctica--and that combining satellite data sets leads to greater certainty. Between 1992 and 2011, the ice sheets of Greenland, East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula changed in mass by -142 ± 49, +14 ± 43, -65 ± 26, and -20 ± 14 gigatonnes year(-1), respectively. Since 1992, the polar ice sheets have contributed, on average, 0.59 ± 0.20 millimeter year(-1) to the rate of global sea-level rise.
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. ashepherd@leeds.ac.uk
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: Erik R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Ivins
authors.forename: Geruo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: A
authors.forename: Valentina R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Barletta
authors.forename: Mike J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.forename: Srinivas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bettadpur
authors.forename: Kate H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bromwich
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Forsberg
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Galin
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horwath
authors.forename: Stan
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authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Ian
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authors.lastname: Joughin
authors.forename: Matt A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Jan T M
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lenaerts
authors.forename: Jilu
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authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Stefan R M
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ligtenberg
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luckman
authors.forename: Scott B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Luthcke
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: Rakia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meister
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Milne
authors.forename: Jeremie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mouginot
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.forename: Julien P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.forename: John
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authors.lastname: Paden
authors.forename: Antony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: Hamish
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rignot
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rott
authors.forename: Louise Sandberg
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: Ted A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Scambos
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scheuchl
authors.forename: Ernst J O
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Schrama
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Aud V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Sundal
authors.forename: Jan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: van Angelen
authors.forename: Willem J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: van de Berg
authors.forename: Michiel R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: van den Broeke
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Velicogna
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wahr
authors.forename: Pippa L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
authors.forename: Duncan J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wingham
authors.forename: Donghui
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: H Jay
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zwally
mesh_terms: D000864:Antarctic Regions; D057231:Climate Change; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006116:Greenland; D046448:Ice Cover