The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 9, issue 6
Articles | Volume 9, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2399-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2399-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 9, issue 6
Brief communication
 | 
17 Dec 2015
Brief communication |  | 17 Dec 2015

Brief Communication: Global reconstructions of glacier mass change during the 20th century are consistent

B. Marzeion, P. W. Leclercq, J. G. Cogley, and A. H. Jarosch

Abstract. Recent estimates of the contribution of glaciers to sea-level rise during the 20th century are strongly divergent. Advances in data availability have allowed revisions of some of these published estimates. Here we show that outside of Antarctica, the global estimates of glacier mass change obtained from glacier-length-based reconstructions and from a glacier model driven by gridded climate observations are now consistent with each other, and also with an estimate for the years 2003–2009 that is mostly based on remotely sensed data. This consistency is found throughout the entire common periods of the respective data sets. Inconsistencies of reconstructions and observations persist in estimates on regional scales.

How to cite. Marzeion, B., Leclercq, P. W., Cogley, J. G., and Jarosch, A. H.: Brief Communication: Global reconstructions of glacier mass change during the 20th century are consistent, The Cryosphere, 9, 2399–2404, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2399-2015, 2015.
Received: 23 Jun 2015 – Discussion started: 20 Jul 2015 – Revised: 10 Nov 2015 – Accepted: 30 Nov 2015 – Published: 17 Dec 2015
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Short summary
We show that estimates of global glacier mass change during the 20th century, obtained from glacier-length-based reconstructions and from a glacier model driven by gridded climate observations are now consistent with each other and also with an estimate for the years 2003-2009 that is mostly based on remotely sensed data. This consistency is found throughout the entire common periods of the respective data sets. Inconsistencies of reconstructions and observations persist on regional scales.
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