glacier mass balance

Crucial to the survival of a glacier is its mass balance or surface mass balance (SMB), the difference between accumulation and ablation (sublimation and melting). Climate change may cause variations in both temperature and snowfall, causing changes in the surface mass balance. Changes in mass balance control a glacier's long-term behavior and are the most sensitive climate indicators on a glacier. From 1980-2012 the mean cumulative mass loss of glaciers reporting mass balance to the World Glacier Monitoring Service is -16 m. This includes 23 consecutive years of negative mass balances.