Antarctica's hidden threat: Meltwater under the ice sheet amplifies sea-level rise

Subglacial water amplifies Antarctic contributions to sea-level rise

Antarctica’s contribution to global sea-level rise is deeply uncertain, with subglacial water suspected to play a critical role, yet its impact remains unclear. We demonstrate that water at the base of ice sheets influences sliding behaviour and that its exclusion from models can underestimate sea-level rise projections and delay the predicted onset of tipping points. Here we use an Antarctic Ice Sheet model (Elmer/Ice) to explore how different …

Who Is Protecting Antarctica’s Environment?

The Antarctic Treaty System, in place since 1961, is principally dedicated to the environmental threats that arise locally, including those from fishing, tourism and scientific research.

Hidden water study raises Antarctic melting alarm

The rate of ice melting in Antarctica could be underestimated by current scientific models, according to research examining...

Watch the world’s largest iceberg run aground near remote island in South Atlantic Ocean

Newly released satellite footage shows the world’s largest iceberg running aground near a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean last month.   The timelapse video, published by Colorado State University's Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, shows the iceberg, called A23a, becoming stuck in shallow waters about 90 kilometers (roughly 56 miles) off the southwestern coast of South Georgia Island over the course of March. Slight…

Insights into the impact of melting mega-brergs with robotic gliders

For the first time, scientists have collected measurements close to a giant iceberg, giving an unprecedented window into the impact of meltwater on the surrounding Southern Ocean and ecosystem. The paper is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Antarctica's hidden threat: Meltwater under the ice sheet amplifies sea-level rise

One of the biggest challenges in predicting Antarctica's deeply uncertain future is understanding exactly what's driving its ice loss.