Does ice retreat due to global warming?

Answer 1

Yes, for the most part. Satellite imagery of Antarctica does not reveal much reduction in the extent of ice loss, but we can see although the annual sea ice remains fairly constant, there IS a large reduction in land ice. Arctic sea ice loss has been increasing from year to year, as has Greenland ice loss. These increases have not been linear but exponential, measured across the past few decades.

Not all Himalayan glaciers are retreating. Sometimes ice loss occurs in a surge, as the ice shifts from higher to lower elevation. Ice surges generally result in even faster ice loss. A few of the Himalayan glaciers are actually growing, as changing weather patterns result in more annual snowfall than usual. But the overall pattern is one of general glacial retreat.

In addition there is a feedback loop--as earth's albedo decreases from loss of reflective ice it warms up even faster.