Describing the ice loss as "staggering," the group found that melting glaciers and ice sheets could cause sea levels to rise dramatically, possibly reaching a metre (3 feet) by the end of the century.
The findings match the worst-case-scenario predictions outlined by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientists have confirmed.
"In the past researchers have studied individual areas – such as the Antarctic or Greenland – where ice is melting.
But this is the first time anyone has looked at all the ice that is disappearing from the entire planet," said Shepherd, according to the Guardian.
"There can be little doubt that the vast majority of Earth's ice loss is a direct consequence of climate warming," the group wrote.
The findings come a week after researchers at Ohio State University discovered that Greenland's ice sheet might have passed a point of no return.
The Greenland ice sheet is the world's second-largest ice body. »
