Ice shelves hold back Antarctica’s glaciers from adding to sea levels – but they’re crumbling

Previous estimates of ice shelf loss come from satellite measurements, which captured ice shelves gradually thinning in recent years. We tracked how much extra ice had been lost as icebergs calve away from the retreating edge of the continent. We found Antarctica’s ice shelves have lost twice as much mass as previous studies suggested. Read more on The Conversation

ICE, sea iceGuest User11 August 2024ICE, sea ice

Antarctica sea ice reaches alarming low for third year in a row

For the third year in a row, sea ice coverage around Antarctica has dropped below 2m sq km – a threshold which before 2022 had not been breached since satellite measurements started in 1979. Read more

sea iceDoreen Henning-Fagan25 February 2024

Antarctic sea ice levels dive in 'five-sigma event', as experts flag worsening consequences for planet

This winter has confirmed what scientists had feared — the sea ice around Antarctica is in sharp decline, with experts now concerned it may not recover. Earlier this year, scientists observed an all-time low in the amount of sea ice around the icy continent, following all-time lows in 2016, 2017 and 2022. Usually, the ice has been able to recover in winter, when Antarctica is reliably dark and cold. Read more on the ABC