Glaciers in the Juneau Icefield in southeastern Alaska are melting at a faster rate than previously thought and may reach an irreversible tipping point sooner than expected, according to a study published on Tuesday (July 2).

Researchers at Newcastle University in England found that glacier loss in the icefield, located just north of Alaska's capital city of Juneau, has accelerated rapidly since 2010.

Glacier melt is a major contributor to rising sea levels, a threat to coastal settlements worldwide. Current rates of ice melt could result in a permanent decline of Juneau Icefield, researchers said.

"As glacier thinning on the Juneau plateau continues and ice retreats to lower levels and warmer air, the feedback processes this sets in motion is likely to prevent future glacier regrowth," Bethan Davies, senior lecturer at Newcastle University and the study's lead, said in a press release.

In the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers found that the icefield's volume shrank between 2010 and 2020 at twice the yearly rate recorded from 1979 to 2010.

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