Glacier Mass Change, 40" H x 50" W
Embroidery on silk.

Glaciologists assess the state of a glacier by measuring its annual mass balance as the combined results of snow accumulation (mass gain) and melt (mass loss) during a given year. The mass balance reflects the atmospheric conditions over a (hydrological) year and, if measured over a long period and displayed in a cumulative way, trends in mass balance are an indicator of climate change.

The World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) published this stunning graph. It is the regional cumulative mass change of reference glaciers relative to 1992. Cumulative values are given on the y-axis in the unit: meter water equivalent. The mass balance estimates considered here are based on a set of global reference glaciers with more than 30 years of ongoing glaciological measurements for the time period 1949-50 to 2023-34. The latest bulletin is here.