[2][3][4] The improvements were achieved through combination of ice sheet imbalance estimates developed from the independent satellite techniques of altimetry, gravimetry and the input-output method.
Going forwards, IMBIE provides a framework for assessing ice sheet mass balance, and has an explicit aim to widen participation to enable the entire scientific community to become involved.
The IMBIE project produced its first estimate of ice sheet mass balance in 2012 as a direct contribution to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
[3] In this assessment, the IMBIE project reported that between 1992 and 2017 Antarctica lost 2720 ± 1390 billion tonnes of ice, equivalent to an increase in global sea levels by 7.6 ± 3.9 mm.
[4] The team also used regional climate models to show that half of the ice losses were due to surface melting as air temperatures have risen.