FROM SPACE
Satellite monitoring
Repeated images reveal changes in ice area, lakes and unstable slopes.
GLOBAL GLACIER MONITORGlacier Brief · Updated 10 September 2026Independent sources · Plain-language analysis
Today’s lead · Himalayan crisis
The frozen world
is changing.
We track glaciers—and the water, energy, economies and communities connected to them.
Langtang region · NepalObserve. Understand. Adapt.
450billion tonnes
of glacier mass lost globally in 2024
3rdconsecutive year
all 19 glacier regions recorded net loss
50years
of aerial glacier observations in New Zealand
Numbers need context.
Every figure links to its source, date and a short explanation.
Global figures: World Meteorological Organization. New Zealand record: Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Global Glacier Watch
See where change is happening.
A public-facing map of important glacier events and long-term signals. Select any named marker to open its field profile.
Yala · HimalayaOpen profile →Mer de Glace · AlpsOpen profile →Sermeq Kujalleq · GreenlandOpen profile →Haupapa · Southern AlpsOpen profile →Perito Moreno · PatagoniaOpen profile →Thwaites · AntarcticaOpen profile →
High attentionRapid changeMonitoringLong horizon
01High attention02Rapid change03Rapid change04Monitoring05Monitoring06Long horizon
Yala · Himalaya
Snowline, meltwater and slope risk
Mer de Glace · Alps
Thinning ice and changing access
Sermeq Kujalleq · Greenland
Ice flow, calving and ocean influence
Haupapa · Southern Alps
Lake growth and long-term ice loss
Perito Moreno · Patagonia
Ice-front movement and lake connection
Thwaites · Antarctica
Grounding line and ocean influence
Glacier Intelligence
From ice to everyday life.
Glacier change can sound remote. These four lenses explain why it affects decisions made far beyond the mountains.
Water security
Why changing seasonal melt matters for homes, farms and rivers downstream.
Explore the evidenceEnergy & infrastructure
How hydropower, roads, bridges and settlements are exposed to a changing cryosphere.
Explore the evidenceRisk & insurance
A plain-language view of ice collapse, glacial lakes, floods and preparedness.
Explore the evidenceTourism & communities
The people, livelihoods and destinations adapting as familiar landscapes change.
Explore the evidenceScience & monitoring
Better eyes on the ice.
Satellites, sensors, drones and AI are making glacier change easier to see—and some hazards easier to anticipate.
Understand the technologyAI EXPLAINED
Forecasting glacier boundaries
Models combine imagery, terrain and climate signals to estimate what may happen next.
ON THE GROUND
Early-warning systems
Local sensors can turn physical change into time for people to act.
The Glacier Economy
Nature, measured in consequences.
Not a price on nature—a clearer view of what communities and industries stand to protect.
EXPOSURE MAP
Where glacier change reaches
Illustrative relationship guide—not a global risk score.
One event can cross many systems.
River and floodPower generationRoads and assetsLives and livelihoods
Explore commercial impact New Zealand Glacier Record
Fifty years above
the Southern Alps.
Late snow can offer a temporary reprieve. The long aerial record shows why one season never tells the whole story.
Explore the recordOur standard
Clear enough to understand.
Serious enough to trust.
Glaciers.com monitors global signals every day, publishes Glacier Brief two to three times a week, issues immediate updates for major events, and closes each week with This Week in the Frozen World. We separate verified facts, informed analysis and unresolved questions—and link important claims to their original source and date.
Source-linkedMonitored dailyGlobal perspective