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A spectacular 4-minute video of a calving event for ice the area of Manhattan, but taller.
Areas of glacier retreat (red arrows) and advance (blue)
Topographic map of Antarctica's bedrock.
Antarctica holds about 90% of the ice on Earth, almost 10% in West Antarctica (including 1% in the Antarctic Peninsula) and some 80% in East Antarctica (in right half of circle below). West Antarctica's ice, if melted, would raise sea level ~5 meters (16 feet). If all of East Antarctica's ice melted, it would raise sea level another ~55 meters (180 feet). Until 40 million years ago, Antarctica had no ice and sea levels were far higher than now.
Glaciation in Antarctica began 39 million years (MY) ago. It was largely complete by 34 MY ago. Antarctic ice has waxed and waned some since then, but has been generally similar to the amount today.
In recent years, ice shelf breakup has concentrated on the Antarctic Peninsula (upper left). But ice loss from retreating glaciers in West Antarctica (in left half of circle) has begun.
Roughly 2/3 of West Antarctica's ice is grounded below sea level. But so is some 1/3 of East Antarctica’s, more than half in the Wilkes and Aurora Basins (“southeast” quadrant), toward Australia and New Zealand. That’s more square miles in the East than the West.
Map by Paul V. Heinrich, data from BEDMAP Consortium (European Ice Sheet Modelling Initiative, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research)
2021-2025 Articles
2021-2025 Articles
Immense Methane Leaks Discovered in Antarctica 0325
The Great Ocean Slowdown - How Antarctic Ice Loss Is Reshaping the Climate 0325
Warm Seawater Encroaches on Filchner Ice Shelf, Raises Sea Level Concerns 0125
Antarctic Ice Melt May Fuel Eruptions of Hidden Volcanoes 0125
Thwaites Glacier Melting Faster than Expected. Use Giant Submarine Curtains? 1124 -
Such curtains might prevent warmer-than-ice ocean water from flowing in under glaciers and melting them from below.
Greening of Antarctica Shows Significant Climate Shift on the Frozen Continent 1024
Grim Outlook for Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier Portends Disastrous Rising Seas 0924
News about AMOC and Greenland and Antarctic Ice, in Scenarios 0824
Calving Antarctic Glaciers Create Huge Underwater Tsunamis, Affecting Ice Melt 0724
Click for more
News about AMOC and Greenland and Antarctic Ice, in Scenarios 0824
Antarctic Temperatures Soar 50°F above Norm in Long-Lasting Heat Wave 0724
Ocean Eats “Doomsday” Thwaites Glacier from Below, Raising Sea Level Faster 0624
Seas Are Rushing Miles Underneath ‘Doomsday Glacier’ for Dire Sea Level Rise 0524
Antarctica, Earth’s Largest Refrigerator, Is Defrosting 0324
Antarctic Sea Ice Shrinks to Historic Lows for 3rd Consecutive Year 0224
World’s Widest Glacier Is Melting Rapidly. When it Started and Why. 0224600-Meter Antarctic Ice Core Shows 450 Meter Ice Sheet Drop over 200 Years around 8,000 Years Ago 0224
Unavoidable Rapid West Antarctica Melting Portends Disastrous Sea Level Rise 1023
Scientists Found the Most Intense Heat Wave Ever Recorded — in Antarctica 0923
Antarctica Warming Much Faster than Predicted Is Deeply Worrying for Sea Level 0923
What Happens in Antarctica, Doesn’t Stay in Antarctica 0823 - Sea level rise from melting Antarctic ice is concentrated toward the other end of the Earth. Meanders in the south polar jet streaming over and around Antarctica, mean longer hot-dry and cold-wet weather in Australia, southern Africa and southern South America.
‘Virtually Certain’ Extreme Antarctic Events Will Get Worse without Drastic Action 0823
Antarctic Research Sparks Concerns that Ocean Circulation Will Collapse 0423
Norwegian Seafloor Holds Clue to Antarctic Melting 0423
Many Antarctic Glaciers Are Never Snow-Free. This Year Is Remarkably Different. 0323
Why East Antarctica Is a ‘Sleeping Giant' of Sea Level Rise 0323
Acceleration of Global Sea Level Rise Imminent past 1.8°C - 0223
This Extraordinary Marine Heat Wave Could Threaten Antarctica’s Ice Shelves 0223
Tagged Seal Led Scientists to Potential 5-15 Foot Sea Level Rise from Antarctica 0123
Iceberg about the Size of London Breaks Off in Antarctica 0123
Glacier That Could Raise Seas Several Feet Is Holding On by Its Fingernails 0922
Antarctica’s ‘Sleeping Giant’ Risks Melting, Threatens Spike in Sea Levels 0822
Climate Change’s Impact Intensifies, Led by Arctic 0822 - In Antarctica, ice shelf collapses, most notably Conger, adjacent to the largest glacier on Earth, in East Antarctica
These 2 Massive West Antarctic Glaciers Have Melted the Most in at Least 5,500 Years 0622
Scientists Solve Antarctic Ice Shelves Collapse Puzzle 0422
Antarctic Ice Shelves Are Shattering. How Fast Will Seas Rise? 0322
Satellite Data Show Collapse of Entire, Small, Conger Ice Shelf in Antarctica 0322
40°C above Normal - What’s Causing Extraordinary Heating in Polar Regions? 0322
It’s 70°F above Normal in Vostok, East Antarctica. Scientists Are Flabbergasted 0322
Soot Is Accelerating Snow Melt in Popular Parts of Antarctica 0222
Serious, Salty Trouble Is Brewing under Antarctic Glaciers 0222
Flourishing Plants Show Warming Antarctica Undergoing ‘Major Change’ 0222
Crucial West Antarctic Ice Shelf Could Fail within 5 Years 1221
Climate Change Has Destabilized Earth’s Poles, Imperiling the Rest of the Planet 1221
Antarctic Lake’s Disappearance Might Offer Clues about Melting Ice Shelves 0721
Antarctic Nearing Climate Disaster despite Landmark Historic Treaty 0621
Antarctica Sheds World’s Largest Iceberg, Nearly 4 X as Big as New York City 0521
Meeting Paris Climate Goal Critical to Prevent Antarctic Ice Shelf Disintegration 0521 - take 4 on a study mostly discussed under sea level rise
1/3 of Antarctic Ice Shelves Will Collapse amid 4°C Global Heating 0421
West Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier Tipping Point Confirmed for 1st Time 0421
Iceberg Bigger than New York City Broke Off near a UK Base in Antarctica 0221
2018-2020 Articles
2018-2020 Articles
Ice Shelves Propping Up West Antarctica’s 2 Largest Glaciers Are Breaking Up 0920.rtf
Why Antarctica's Colossal Thwaites Glacier Is Melting Fast 0920.rtf - seabed is deeper than thought, warmer ocean melting ice from beneath
Ancient History of East Antarctic Ice Has Unsettling News for Sea Level Rise 0720.rtf
New Warnings over Rapid Melting at Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’ 0720.rtf
Antarctic Ice Melt Related to Tropical Weather Shifts – a Game Changer? 0420.rtf
Canyon in East Antarctic’s Denman Glacier Threatens 5-Foot Sea Level Rise 0320.rtf
West Antarctica’s Largest, Most Dangerous Glacier Is Melting from Below 0120.rtf - Thwaites Glacier
Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier Is Melting. Can We Save It in Time? 0120.rtf - Thwaites Glacier
Can We Stop Antarctica's Ice Collapse? 0120.rtf - 120,000 years ago, Antarctica was 6°C warmer and seas wre 6-9 meters higher. Longish analysis.
Antarctic Ice Melt May Have Hit an All-Time High on Christmas Eve 1219.rtf
What’s Driving Antarctica's Meltdown? 1119.rtf
How Antarctica Is Melting from Above and Below 1019.rtf
A Big Crack Grew, till a Huge Iceberg Just Split From Antarctica 1019.rtf
Glacial Melting in Antarctica May Become Irreversible 0719.rtf
1:4 of West Antarctica’s Ice Now Considered Unstable 0519.rtf
Extraordinary Thinning of Ice Sheets Revealed Deep inside Antarctica 0519.rtf
World's Largest Ice Shelf Is Melting 10 Times Faster than Expected 0519.rtf
Even Antarctica’s Coldest Region Is Starting to Melt 0319.rtf
Mysterious Green Antarctic Icebergs Might Be Fertilizing the Southern Ocean 0319.rtf
Collapse in Ice Shelf for Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier - Omen of Catastrophe 0319.rtf
Studies Shed New Light on Antarctica’s Future Contribution to Sea Level Rise 0219.rtf
Cavity 2:3 the Size of Manhattan Discovered under Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier 0219.rtf - hidden loss carved by warming ocean
Ice Loss from Antarctica Increased 6-Fold since the 1970s 0119.rtf - take 1 on study
Antarctica Ice Melt Has Jumped 530% over 4 Decades, 280% in Last 2 - 0119.rtf - take 2
Ancient Antarctic Ice Sheet Collapse Could Recur, Triggering New Global Flood 1218.rtf - 125K years ago, an ice sheet melted, raising sea levels 30 feet, including up to 8 feet a century.
Antarctic Ice Melt Related to Tropical Weather Shifts – a Game Changer? 0420.rtf
- 2.3 trillion tonnes in 15 years
2017 Articles and earlier
2017 Articles and earlier
Mass Balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 1992 to 2017 - Shepherd 0618.pdf
Mass Balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 1992 to 2017 - 0618.rtf - Abstract
Land Rebounding under Antarctic Ice 0618.rtf
Antarctic Ice Loss Tripled in a Decade. If That Continues, It’s Serious Trouble. 0618.rtf
Global Warming Is Melting Antarctic Ice from Below 0518.rtf
An Alarming 10% of Antarctica’s Coastal Glaciers Are Now in Retreat 0418.rtf
'Extreme' Changes Underway in Some of Antarctica’s Biggest Glaciers 0418.rtf
Major Trend of More Snowfall Seen in Antarctica Could Counter Sea Level Rise 0118.rtf
Antarctic Iceberg Portends Big Glacier Retreat 1217.rtf
West Antarctica’s 2 Biggest Glaciers Accelerate Toward the Sea 1017.rtf
Study Suggests the Ocean Could Rise More, and Faster, than We Thought 1017.rtf
Satellites Spy Antarctic ‘Upside-Down Ice Canyon' 1017.rtf
Key Antarctic Glacier - Pine Island - Just Lost a Huge Piece of Ice 0917.rtf
Giant Iceberg Splits from Antarctic 0717.rtf - a bit larger than Delaware, from Larsen C ice shelf on Antarctic Peninsula
Shells Record West Antarctic Glacier Retreat 0717.rtf
Antarctica's Ice-Free Areas to Increase up to 1:4 by 2100 - 0617.rtf
Scientists Stunned by Antarctic Rainfall and a Melt Area Bigger than Texas 0617.rtf
Thanks to Global Warming, Antarctica Is Beginning to Turn Green 0517.rtf
Larsen C Ice Shelf Crack Just Sprouted a New Branch 0517.rtf
Antarctica's Troublesome ‘Hairdryer Winds' 0417.rtf
Vast Rivers and Waterfalls Discovered across Antarctica 0417.rtf
Antarctica Just Shed a Manhattan-Sized Chunk of Ice 0217.rtf
Antarctic Past Points to Sea Level Threat 0117.rtf
Warm Ocean Water Is Melting the Biggest Glacier in East Antarctica 1216.rtf
Odd Rifts in Antarctic Ice Could Mean ‘Sayonara, Glacier’ 1116.rtf
What It Means for Sea Level When 2 Huge Antarctic Glaciers Are Unstable 1016.rtf
Scientists May Have Solved Key Riddle about Antarctica. It’s Bad News. 0916.rtf
Lengthening Crack Threatens to Cause an Antarctic Ice Shelf to Collapse 0816.rtf
Dazzling Blue Lakes Are Forming in Antarctica. That Worries Scientists. 0816.rtf
These Elephant Seals Taught Scientists Why Antarctica Is Melting So Fast 0616.rtf - Ocean warms ice from below.
Yet Another Part of Antarctica May Be in Trouble 0616.rtf - by Bellinghausen Sea, to Pacific side of the Peninsula
Better Models of Antarctic Ice Collapse Show Much Faster Sea Level Rise 0416.rtf - includes take 5 on DeConto study
Note similarity of the study’s contours (below) to the map of Antarctic bedrock above.
'Dire Prediction' on Melting Antarctic Ice Sheets and Rising Sea Levels 0416.rtf
Ice Melt Could Make Seas Rise 6 Feet by 2100 - 0316.rtf - take 1 on DeConto-Pollard study. 40+ feet by 2500 possible
Climate Forecasts Underestimate Sea-Level-Rise Impact of Antarctic Thaw 0316.rtf - take 2. 50+ feet by 2500 possible
Antarctic Model Raises Prospect of Unstoppable Ice Collapse 0316.rtf - take 3. 50+ feet by 2500 possible
We Had All Better Hope These Scientists Are Wrong about Earth’s Future 0316.rtf - take 1 on study above in Ice Dynamics
James Hansen Warns of Much Worse than Expected Sea Level Rise 0316.rtf - take 2 on study above in Ice Dynamics
Antarctica Could Be Much More Vulnerable to Melting than We Thought 0216.rtf
Warmer Seas Speed Up Antarctic Ice Melt 0216.rtf
Weakening Ice Shelves Raise Sea Level Rise Concerns 0216.rtf
What the Earth Will Be Like in 10,000 years, according to Scientists 0216.rtf
Big Antarctic Ice Melt Scenarios This Century ‘Not Plausible' 1115.rtf
West Antarctic Ice Melt Could Raise Seas by 3 Meters 1115.rtf
Experts Dispute NASA Study Showing Antarctic Ice Gain 1115.rtf
Net Gains for Antarctic Ice Sheets – NASA 1015.rtf
Trouble as Antarctica's Glaciers Are Undermined by Warm Water 1015.rtf
Antarctic Ice Shelves Collapse Would Bring 1,000s of Years of Sea-Level Rise 1015.rtf
Why Scientists Are So Worried about Antarctica’s Ice Shelves 1015.rtf
Worst-Case Scenario for Sea Level Rise- No More New York, Berlin or Shanghai 0915.rtf
Climate Change and the Fate of Antarctica 0915.rtf
Study Predicts All Antarctic Ice to Melt if All Fossil Fuels Are Burned 0915.rtf
5 Trillion Tons of Ice Lost Since 2002 - 0915.rtf
Scientists Are Still Trying to Figure Out How Fast We Could Lose West Antarctica 0815.rtf
New Antarctic Research Increases Sea Level Rise Estimates 0815.rtf
Antarctic Glaciers Are Thinning So Fast, It's Like a Switch Was Flipped 0515.rtf
Antarctic Peninsula in ‘Dramatic' Ice Loss 0515.rtf
Antarctica's Growing Sea Ice Is Restricting Access to Research Stations 0515.rtf
10,000-Year-Old Antarctic Ice Shelf Will Disappear by 2020 - NASA 0515.rtf
Larsen C Ice Shelf, the Size of Scotland, Could Be at ‘Imminent Risk’ 0515.rtf
Antarctic Ice Shelves Melting 70% Faster 0315.rtf
Antarctic Ice Shelf Thinning Speeds Up 0315.rtf
East Antarctic Totten Glacier (Ice for 11 Feet SLR) Melts from Warm Seas Beneath.rtf
Antarctica's Retreating Ice May Re-Shape Earth 0215.rtf
Texas-Sized East Antarctic Glacier Melting with Warmer Oceans 0115.rtf
Our Polar Regions Are Simply 'Melting Away.’ It's A Beautiful Disaster. 0115.rtf
Scientists Drill through 2,400 Feet of Antarctic Ice for Climate Clues 0115.rtf - Muck & pebbles on seabed at bottom show glacier movement in West Antarctica. The Whillan glacier base rests on 10 meters of ocean, not the ground. This makes it vulnerable to ocean warming beneath it, which melts it from the bottom.
The Antarctic Ice Sheet Is a Sleeping Giant, Beginning to Stir 0115.rtf
Rescued Scientists Bring Back a Warning from the Antarctic 1214.rtf
Drought, Heat and Ice- 2015 Could Be Tipping Point on Climate 1214.rtf
Antarctic Peninsula Glacier Recession 'Unprecedented' 1214.rtf
Research Casts Alarming Light on Decline of West Antarctic Glaciers 1214.rtf - This article partly overlaps the next one.
West Antarctic Region Sheds Mount Everest-Sized Amount of Ice Every 2 Years 1214.rtf
Underwater ‘Storms' May Hold Key to Melting Antarctic Ice 1114.rtf
Antarctic Sea Ice Hits Record High, While the Arctic's Keeps Melting 1014.rtf
Gravity Changes Show Antarctica Meltdown 1014.rtf
Melting Glaciers Make Antarctic Coastal Waters Rise 2 mm per Year Faster 0914.rtf
Antarctic Melt Could Raise Sea Levels Faster 0814.rtf
ESA's Cryosat Mission Sees Antarctic Ice Losses Double in 4 Years 0514.rtf
Ice Melt in Part of Antarctica ‘Appears Unstoppable,' NASA Says 0514.rtf
East Antarctica More at Risk Than Thought to Long-Term Thaw 0514.rtf
Pine Island Glacier's Retreat Irreversible 0114.rtf
Spy Satellite Data Reveal Antarctic Ice Vulnerability 0813.rtf
New Antarctic Ice Core Reveals Secrets of Climate Change 0813.rtf
East Antarctic Ice Sheet 'Vulnerable' to Temperature Changes 0813.rtf
Antarctic Ice Shelf Disintegration 0409.rtf
Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelf Disintegrating 0409.rtf
5.3-2.6 Million Years Ago, Frozen Ice Sheet in East Antarctica Melted 0713.rtf
Antarctic Flood Produces Ice Crater 0713.rtf
Melting in Antarctica Worst in 1,000 Year Record 0413.rtf
West Antarctic Ice Sheet Warming Twice Earlier Estimate 1212.rtf
Sea Level to Rise Despite More Snow in East Antarctica 1212.rtf
Less Ice Melt in Antarctica 1012.rtf
Antarctica Warmth Unusual, Not Unprecedented 0812.rtf
Valley Size of Grand Canyon Accelerates W Antarctic Ice Melt 0712.rtf
W Antarctic Ice Sheet to Collapse Again 0309.rtf
W Antarctic Ice Collapse History 0509.rtf
East Antarctica May Be Losing Ice Mass 1109.rtf
Large Antarctic Glacier Thinning Fast 0809.rtf
New Rifts in Antarctic Ice Shelf 1108.rtf
West Antarctic Glaciers Surge 0208.rtf
West Antarctic Ice Melt Accelerates 0108.rtf
Antarctic Ice Ebb & Flow Over Last 10 Million Years 0105.pdf
Rapid CO2 Decline Glaciated Antarctica 34 Mya 0103.pdf
if we continue current emissions rate
if Paris committments are met & world warms only 2°C
Section Map: Ice
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