August 12, 2025 — A new global study has predicted glacier erosion rates with the highest precision yet revealing how ice is reshaping landscapes across the world. Published in Nature Geoscience, the research covers more than 180,000 glaciers and offers the first detailed estimate of how fast they erode bedrock and move sediment.
The study found that the most intense glacier erosion happens in regions with large modern ice cover including Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Scandinavia, and the southern Andes. Areas like Central and South Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and New Zealand also show some of the highest erosion rates.
Led by Sophie Norris from Canada’s University of Victoria, the researchers used machine learning to combine data on glaciology, climate, and geology. They analysed erosion rates from 181 glaciers and then applied their findings to nearly 185,000 glaciers worldwide representing 85% of all recorded glaciers in the Randolph Glacier Inventory.
Results show that most glaciers erode between 0.02 mm and 2.68 mm of bedrock per year, collectively grinding away around 23 gigatonnes of rock annually. By comparison, rivers carry about 18.5–20 gigatonnes of sediment from these glaciers into the oceans each year.
Surprisingly, the study found that glacier speed alone is not the main driver of erosion. Instead, factors like precipitation, glacier height, length, latitude, and the type of rock beneath the ice play the biggest roles. Mean annual precipitation was the most consistent influence across all glacier types, while temperature also played a role but to a lesser degree.
Norris explained that erosion beneath glaciers is more complex than previously thought, involving temperature, water flow under the ice, rock type, and even heat from deep inside the Earth. The research also highlighted the importance of seismic activity, rock composition, and geothermal heat in shaping how glaciers erode.
The findings have wide-ranging implications — from predicting how mountain landscapes will evolve, to managing long-term nuclear waste storage, and tracking how sediment and nutrients travel through rivers into the seas.