Greenland has lost 3.5 trillion tonnes of ice over the past decade, increasing the global sea level by one centimetre and heightening the risk of flooding worldwide, according to a study published on Monday.

The international team of researchers made use of measurements from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s CryoSat-2 satellite mission, using estimates of surface elevation change over time.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is the first to use satellite data to detect this phenomenon — known as ice sheet runoff — from space.

“Observations show that extreme melt events in Greenland have become more frequent and more intense — as well as more erratic — which is a global problem,” said study co-author Lin Gilbert from University College London (UCL) in the UK.