Glaciers in central Spitsbergen are melting and getting thinner, especially in Dickson Land. The total glacier area has decreased by about 38% since the Little Ice Age. Recent studies show that most local glaciers are consistently thinning at all elevations, unlike larger glaciers in Svalbard. The glaciers in Dickson Land have lost a significant amount of mass between 1990 and 2009/2011 compared to other regions in Svalbard.