Formation or gains in Antarctic land ice is a result of precipitation. Loss is a result of melting or sublimation.
The "better tools" they need is the IceSat 2 satellite that launches in 2017.
As for the sea levels, that is ocean topography and the Jason 3 launch has been delayed.
Ocean Surface Topography Mission
" The "better tools" they need is the IceSat 2 satellite that launches in 2017. As for the sea levels, that is ocean topography and the Jason 3 launch has been delayed."
Will the raw data from those satellites be available to the public or secretively massaged by the "global warming/global change" crowd?