India, Feb. 20 -- Glaciers lost an estimated 273 billion tonnes of ice annually from 2000 to 2023, making them the second-largest contributor to rising sea levels, according to a new study.

The total global glacier mass loss over this period amounts to 6.54 trillion tonnes, contributing 18 millimetres (mm) to global sea-level rise. The annual rate of sea-level rise attributed to glacier melt was 0.75 mm per year, the study, published in the journal Nature, noted.

Furthermore, ice loss accelerated significantly in the second half of the study period (2012-2023), increasing by 36 per cent compared to the first half (2000-2011).

"Our observations and recent modelling studies indicate that glacier mass loss will continue and possibly accel...