Antarctica averages maybe 6 inches per year of precipitation -- with 2 inches in the interior and 8 to 10 inches near the coasts. Yet because of the cold, even that small amount can accumulate. Greenland averages 13 to 14 inches with from 2 inches per year in the northern interior to 80 inches along some coastlines.
An increase of only a few inches of precipitation per year -- delivered by warmer and moister weather as increased snowfall -- makes glaciers and icecaps grow and deepen and flow faster. Maybe warmer and moister conditions will increase icepack depths in the coldest interiors of Greenland, Antarctica, and mountain masses such as the Himalayas. Yet warmer temperatures along the coasts can speed melting and calving of glaciers into the sea. Will it be a net gain or loss -- I dunno -- because conditions vary so much from area to area.
Thanks, I had assumed it would all sublimate when it was that dry.