Global Glacier Change Bulletin (2012 - 2013)

The World Glacier Monitoring Service releases its Global Glacier Change Bulletin every two years. The next bulletin (2014-2015) should be released in 2017.

• States that internationally coordinated glacier monitoring began in 1894, with the periodic publication of compiled information on glacier fluctuations starting one year later
• Finds that in the time period covered by the present bulletin (2013-2014), the glaciers observed lost more than 0.7 m w.e. (water equivalent) per year, thus continuing the historically unprecedented ice loss observed since the turn of the century and amounting to double the ice loss rates of the 1990s
• Finds that the mean mass balance for 2013/14 was -750 mm w.e. per year
  • Notes that this is as negative as the mean mass balance for the first decade of the 21st century (2001–2010: -740 mm w.e. per year) which has been without precedent on a global scale, at least for the time period with available observations
• Finds that the maximum mass loss of the 1980–2000 time period (observed in 1998) has been exceeded five times since the turn of the century: in 2003, 2006, 2011, 2013, and probably again in 2014
• Finds that the percentage of positive glacier mass balances decreased from 33% in the 1980s to below 20% (2011/12–2013/14), and there have been no more years with a positive mean balance for almost three decades
• States that the melt rate and cumulative loss in glacier thickness continues to be extraordinary
• Finds that the glaciers are in strong and increasing imbalance with the climate and, hence will continue to lose mass even if climate remains stable

• Presents a global analysis of glaciers with regional information for:
  • Alaska
  • Western North America
  • Arctic Canada North and South
  • Greenland
  • Iceland
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Scandinavia
  • Central Europe
  • Caucasus and Middle East
  • Russian Arctic
  • Asia North
  • Asia Central
  • Asia South West and South East
  • Low latitudes (including Africa and New Guinea)
  • Southern Andes
  • New Zealand
  • Antarctica and subantarctic islands

• Provides detailed analysis for:
  • Bahía Del Diablo (Antarctica/Antarctic Peninsula)
  • Martial Este (Argentina/Andes Fueguinos)
  • Pasterze (Austria/Alps)
  • Vernagtferner (Austria/Alps)
  • Zongo (Bolivia/Tropical Andes)
  • Findelen (Switzerland/Alps)
  • Parlung No. 94 (China/Southeast Tibetan Plateau)
  • Conejeras (Colombia/Cordillera Central)
  • Maladeta (Spain/Pyrenees)
  • Freya (Greenland/Northeast Greenland)
  • CaresÈR (Italy/Alps)
  • Langenferner (Italy/Alps)
  • Lewis (Kenya/Mt. Kenya)
  • Abramov (Kyrgyzstan/Tien Shan)
  • Tsentralniy Tuyuksuyskiy (Kazakhstan/Tien Shan)
  • Waldemarbreen (Norway/Spitsbergen)