US EditionAntarctica gains ice for first time in decades, reversing trend of mass loss, study finds
- A peer-reviewed study published on March 19, 2025, found Antarctica's ice sheet gained mass between 2021 and 2023.
- This increase followed a period from 2011 to 2020 when the ice sheet was rapidly losing mass due to melting at the surface and an accelerated flow of ice into the ocean.
- Unusual precipitation patterns led to the Antarctic ice sheet gaining around 108 gigatons annually, which temporarily reduced the rate at which sea levels were rising by roughly 0.3 millimeters each year.
- Scientists warn this reversal is likely temporary unless larger climatic trends support sustained recovery and emphasize the climate crisis remains ongoing.
- This surprising growth highlights the Antarctic ice sheet's sensitivity to climate variations but does not indicate that long-term mass loss has stopped.
40 Articles
40 Articles
“Anomalous” Discovery in Antarctica Has Left Climate Scientists Scratching Their Heads
Antarctica’s vast ice sheet has revealed something few scientists would have expected: the slowly thawing continent appears to have gained mass over the past two years, in an apparent reversal of ice loss spanning several decades. The discovery seemingly reverses years of concerning data that have accumulated about the southern continent, presenting fresh insights—and new challenges—for the study of Antarctica’s changing climate and how it can b…
Scientists say Antarctic ice has made 'surprising' rebound in mass
The Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) has shown signs of record-breaking growth after decades of contributing to global sea-level rise — as experts reveal their theories why. A study published in Science China Earth Sciences revealed that between 2021 and 2023, the AIS gained mass at a rate of 108 gigatons per year — a remarkable reversal from the rapid loss seen in previous years. The researchers analyzed data from the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Clima…
Ice Surprises – Arctic and Antarctic Ice Sheets Are Stabilizing and Growing
The Honest Broker Roger Pielke Jr. New climate research in science and policy context Earlier this week the New York Post asked me to help its readers make sense of some surprising new research on ice dynamics at both poles. The new research appears in a new peer-reviewed paper and a preprint that was just posted. At the South Pole, Wang et al. 2025 find a record accumulation of ice on the Antarctic ice sheet over the period 2021 to 2023, follow…
Antarctic ice loss accelerated in 2010–2020, then abruptly gained mass
Through satellite gravimetry analysis of Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) mass changes from 2002 to 2023, striking mass change rates have been identified. The study reveals the most significant mass loss occurred during 2011-2020, primarily driven by accelerated ice loss in Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica and four key glacier basins in Wilkes Land-Queen Mary Land, East Antarctica. Remarkably, an unprecedented reversal was observed during 2021-2…
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