Ice Sheet Volume Calculator
Estimate ice sheet volume and its sea level equivalent based on area, average thickness, and ice density.
Ice Volume
3,420,000 km³
Ice Volume vs Ice Sheet Area
公式
## Ice Sheet Volume and Sea Level Ice sheets hold vast quantities of frozen water. If melted, this water raises global sea levels. ### Formula **Volume (km³) = Area (km²) x Thickness (m) / 1000** **Water Equivalent = Volume x Ice Density / Water Density** **Sea Level Rise (m) = Water Equivalent (km³) / Ocean Area (km²) x 10^6** The Greenland ice sheet contains about 2.85 million km³ of ice, equivalent to roughly 7.2 m of sea level rise.
计算示例
The Greenland ice sheet has an area of 1,710,000 km² and average thickness of 2,000 m.
- 01Volume = 1,710,000 x 2,000 / 1,000 = 3,420,000 km³
- 02Water equivalent = 3,420,000 x 917 / 1,000 = 3,136,140 km³
- 03Sea level = 3,136,140 / 361,000,000 x 1,000,000 = 8.69 m
- 04Note: actual Greenland SLE is ~7.2 m due to non-uniform thickness
常见问题
How much ice is in Antarctica vs Greenland?
Antarctica holds about 26.5 million km³ of ice (58 m sea level equivalent), while Greenland holds about 2.85 million km³ (7.2 m equivalent).
Why use ice density instead of water density?
Ice is less dense than water (917 vs 1000 kg/m³). Converting to water equivalent gives the actual volume of liquid water that would be released.
How fast are ice sheets losing mass?
Greenland loses about 270 billion tonnes of ice per year, and Antarctica about 150 billion tonnes per year, both rates accelerating.