What is an ice sheet?
Q: What is an ice sheet?
A: An ice sheet is a large mass of glacier ice that covers an area of more than 50,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi). It may also be called a continental glacier.
Q: How many ice sheets are there in the world?
A: There are two ice sheets in the world at the moment: in Antarctica and Greenland.
Q: What is the difference between an ice sheet and an ice cap?
A: Ice sheets are larger than ice shelves or alpine glaciers. Masses of ice covering less than 50,000 km2 are called ice caps. The ice in an ice cap usually comes from a series of glaciers that drain into it.
Q: How much fresh water does the Antarctic Ice Sheet contain?
A: The Antarctic Ice Sheet contains 30 million km3 of fresh water.
Q: How much would sea levels rise if all of the Antarctic Ice Sheet were to melt?
A: If all of it were to melt, it would cause sea levels to rise by 58 metres.
Q: What percentage of Greenland's surface is covered by its own Ice Sheet?
A: The Greenland Ice Sheet covers about 82% of the surface of Greenland.
Q:How quickly is Greenland's Ice Sheet melting?
A:Satellite images from NASA show that it is melting at a rate of about 239 cubic kilometres (57.3 cubic miles) each year.
