This progress report is the first of three overviews of important fields of study within contemporary glaciology, illustrated with reference to exemplar research contributions and highlighting key developments in each field since 2005, the date of the last review of ‘Glaciology’ in this journal. The topics covered in this paper are: (1) the mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets and their contributions to global sea level change; and (2) atmospheric melt-induced influences on the dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The paper aims to provide an overview of key developments over the last six years from each topic, with discussion of the continuing debates and unresolved issues which constitute the foci for ongoing and future research.