Mass balance/budget (Q791)

Subject, term, tag: Mass balance/budget

Mass balance/budget (of glaciers or ice sheets)

Language	Label	Description	Also known as
English	Mass balance/budget	Subject, term, tag: Mass balance/budget	Mass balance/budget (of glaciers or ice sheets)

Statements

Instance of

Category

source version

IPCC Glossary v1.5

1 reference

Source

https://apps.ipcc.ch/glossary/

date accessed

27 May 2026

Part of

Working Group I: Climate Change 2021 – The Physical Science Basis

0 references

Definition

Difference between the mass input (accumulation) and the mass loss (ablation) of an ice body (e.g., a glacier or ice sheet) over a stated time period, which is often a year or a season. Surface mass balance refers to the difference between surface accumulation and surface ablation. (English)