Antarctica as a whole has only contributed 0.35 cm to sea level rise since 2003.

According to a new study published in a Nature journal, from 2020 to 2024 the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) gained mass at a rate of +67.5 Gt/yr, reversing the modest 2003 to 2019 mass loss (-100.6 Gt/yr) trend.

This recent 5-year mass gain trend was driven by a massive increase in snow and ice accumulation (SMB).

Combining the mass loss (2003-2019) and mass gain (2020-2024) trends, Antarctica as a whole contributed a grand total of just 0.35 cm to sea levels over this 21-year period.

Image Source: Kolbe et al., 2026

A Google search of NOAA’s Arctic Report Card record since 2020 indicates that over this same 5-year period (2020-2024) the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) mass loss rate slowed to -147 Gt/yr.  This is a substantial deceleration when compared to the –267 Gt/yr mass loss trend from 2002-2019.

Image Source: Google searches for 2020-2024 NOAA Arctic Report Card

Together with the AIS 2020-2024 mass gain trend of +67.5 Gt/yr and GIS mass loss trend of -147 Gt/yr, we learn that GIS and AIS combined lost -79 Gt/yr over this 5-year period.

A total AIS and GIS mass loss rate of -79 Gt/yr translates to just +0.22 mm/yr of meltwater sea level rise equivalent from 2020-2024.

This would serve to undermine claims of a recent acceleration in the rates of sea level rise.