The Svalbard archipelago lost 61.7 billion tonnes of ice in 2024, surpassing Greenland’s ice loss of 55 billion tonnes in the same period. This extreme melting event has been described by researchers as unprecedented in modern times.
An exceptional melting rate in the Arctic
Glaciologist Thomas V. Schuler from the University of Oslo, who led the study, called the phenomenon “very, very unusual.” According to Schuler, melting on such a scale may occur only once every several hundred, possibly even a thousand years.
His instruments at Kongsvegen glacier on Svalbard recorded a sudden loss of more than two meters of ice, leaving devices unexpectedly elevated three meters above ground.
Svalbard glaciers shrinking faster than expected
While Greenland’s ice sheet is around 50 times larger than the glaciers on Svalbard, the smaller archipelago still experienced greater overall ice loss last year. This highlights the vulnerability of Svalbard to climate change, with warming in the High Arctic occurring at roughly four times the global average. The accelerated melting threatens local ecosystems and contributes to global sea level rise.
Chief scientist for Earth observation at NORCE, Eirik Malnes, who was not involved in the study, described the results as credible and alarming. “It is extraordinary that little Svalbard has experienced as much melting as all of Greenland combined,” he said in an interview with Forskning.no.
Climate change and future risks for the Arctic
The findings add to growing evidence of rapid climate change in the Arctic. If such extreme melting episodes become more frequent, they could destabilize permafrost, alter marine ecosystems and accelerate global sea level rise. For the Nordic countries and the wider European region, this underscores the urgency of developing strategies for adaptation and mitigation in the face of accelerating Arctic change.
