Glaciers sculpted the profound valleys of Banff, eroded Ontario to deposit the fertile soils of the Prairies, and continue to alter the Earth’s surface. What is the rate at which glaciers shape the landscape?

Today, Nature Geoscience published a study by University of Victoria geographer Sophie Norris and her international colleagues, offering the most extensive analysis of glacial erosion rates and their impact on the landscape. Their research notably offers an assessment of the current erosion rate for over 180,000 glaciers globally.

Norris and her research team have employed a machine learning-based worldwide analysis to anticipate glacial loss for 85 percent of contemporary glaciers. Their regression models indicate that 99 percent of glaciers disintegrate at a rate between 0.02 and 2.68 millimetres annually—approximately the thickness of a credit card.

Global Study Reveals How Glaciers Shape the Earth

“The conditions that lead to erosion at the base of glaciers are more complicated than we previously understood,” stated Norris. “Our analysis found that many variables strongly influence erosion rates: temperature, amount of water under the glacier, what kind of rocks are in the area, and how much heat comes from inside the Earth.”  

“Given the extreme difficulty in measuring glacial erosion in active glacial settings, this study provides us with estimates of this process for remote locations worldwide,” stated John Gosse, Dalhousie University. 

Comprehending the intricate mechanisms that induce erosion beneath glaciers is essential for landscape management, long-term nuclear waste storage, and tracking the global movement of sediment and nutrients.

Norris commenced this work as a post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie and completed it at UVic. The collaborative team comprised the University of Grenoble Alpes (France), Dartmouth College (USA), Pennsylvania State University (USA), and the University of California, Irvine (USA). The project was conducted in collaboration with and financially backed by the Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organisation.

Summary – UVic Research on Global Glacier Erosion

• Extensive Global Analysis – Studied erosion rates for over 180,000 glaciers worldwide.
• Measured Erosion Rates – 99% of glaciers erode 0.02–2.68 mm/year, similar to a credit card’s thickness.
• Key Influencing Factors – Temperature, subglacial water, bedrock type, and geothermal heat.
• Global Impact – Insights support landscape management, nuclear waste storage, and sediment/nutrient tracking.
• International Collaboration – Led by UVic’s Sophie Norris with global partners, funded partly by Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organisation.

Original Publication
Authors: Sophie L. Norris, John C. Gosse, Romain Millan, Jeremie Mouginot, Antoine Rabatel, Mathieu Morlighem, Matthew S. M. Bolton and Richard B. Alley.
Journal: Nature Geoscience
DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01747-8
Method of Research: Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: Drivers of global glacial erosion rates
Article Publication Date: 7-Aug-2025