Measurements from NASA’s new GRACE satellite show that those high-latitude areas lost more than 2 trillion tons of ice, with most of the decline occurring in Greenland.
The runoff from that ice-capped island alone was enough to raise sea level .5 millimeters each of the last five years.
The combined melting in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska raised global sea levels about one-fifth of an inch in the past five years.
The finding was one of several being highlighted at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in San Francisco.
The World Meteorological Organization announced that while the Arctic ice cap during late summer covered a little more of the polar region this year than during the record loss of 2007, the overall ice volume was less than any other year because it was thinner.
A variety of other research findings presented this week at the geophysical meeting pointed to other aspects of global warming, especially with regard to sea ice. None revealed anything but further evidence that climate change brought on by manmade greenhouse gases is unprecedented in the scientific record.
"It's not getting better; it's continuing to show strong signs of warming and amplification," NASA ice scientist Jay Zwally told the Associated Press. "There's no reversal taking place."