Antarctica

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

Next Few Years Are Vital to Secure the Future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet 0625.rtf

Immense Methane Leaks Discovered in Antarctica 0325.rtf

The Great Ocean Slowdown - How Antarctic Ice Loss Is Reshaping the Climate 0325.rtf

Warm Seawater Encroaches on Filchner Ice Shelf, Raises Sea Level Concerns 0125.rtf

Antarctic Ice Melt May Fuel Eruptions of Hidden Volcanoes 0125.rtf

Thwaites Glacier Melting Faster than Expected. Use Giant Submarine Curtains? 1124.rtf - 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.rtf

Grim Outlook for Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier Portends Disastrous Rising Seas 0924.rtf

Click for more

News about AMOC and Greenland and Antarctic Ice, in Scenarios 0824.rtf

Calving Antarctic Glaciers Create Huge Underwater Tsunamis, Affecting Ice Melt 0724.rtf

Antarctic Temperatures Soar 50°F above Norm in Long-Lasting Heat Wave 0724.rtf

Ocean Eats “Doomsday” Thwaites Glacier from Below, Raising Sea Level Faster 0624.rtf

Seas Are Rushing Miles Underneath ‘Doomsday Glacier’ for Dire Sea Level Rise 0524.rtf

Antarctica, Earth’s Largest Refrigerator, Is Defrosting 0324.rtf

Antarctic Sea Ice Shrinks to Historic Lows for 3rd Consecutive Year 0224.rtf

World’s Widest Glacier Is Melting Rapidly. When it Started and Why. 0224.rtf

600-Meter Antarctic Ice Core Shows 450 Meter Ice Sheet Drop over 200 Years around 8,000 Years Ago 0224.rtf

Antarctic Research Sparks Concerns that Ocean Circulation Will Collapse 0423.rtf

‘Virtually Certain’ Extreme Antarctic Events Will Get Worse without Drastic Action 0823.rtf - 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.

Unavoidable Rapid West Antarctica Melting Portends Disastrous Sea Level Rise 1023.rtf

Scientists Found the Most Intense Heat Wave Ever Recorded — in Antarctica 0923.rtf

Antarctica Warming Much Faster than Predicted Is Deeply Worrying for Sea Level 0923.rtf

What Happens in Antarctica, Doesn’t Stay in Antarctica 0823.rtf

Antarctic Research Sparks Concerns that Ocean Circulation Will Collapse 0423.rtf

Norwegian Seafloor Holds Clue to Antarctic Melting 0423.rtf

Many Antarctic Glaciers Are Never Snow-Free. This Year Is Remarkably Different. 0323.rtf

Why East Antarctica Is a ‘Sleeping Giant' of Sea Level Rise 0323.rtf

Acceleration of Global Sea Level Rise Imminent past 1.8°C - 0223.rtf

Warming Seas Carving into Massive Antarctic Glacier Could Trigger Rising Seas 0223.rtf

This Extraordinary Marine Heat Wave Could Threaten Antarctica’s Ice Shelves 0223.rtf

Tagged Seal Led Scientists to Potential 5-15 Foot Sea Level Rise from Antarctica 0123.rtf

Iceberg about the Size of London Breaks Off in Antarctica 0123.rtf

Glacier That Could Raise Seas Several Feet Is Holding On by Its Fingernails 0922.rtf

Antarctica’s ‘Sleeping Giant’ Risks Melting, Threatens Spike in Sea Levels 0822.rtf

Climate Change’s Impact Intensifies, Led by Arctic 0822.rtf - 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.rtf

Scientists Solve Antarctic Ice Shelves Collapse Puzzle 0422.rtf

Antarctic Ice Shelves Are Shattering. How Fast Will Seas Rise? 0322.rtf

Satellite Data Show Collapse of Entire, Small Conger Ice Shelf in Antarctica 0322.rtf

40°C above Normal - What’s Causing Extraordinary Heating in Polar Regions? 0322.rtf

It’s 70°F above Normal in Vostok, East Antarctica. Scientists Are Flabbergasted 0322.rtf

Soot Is Accelerating Snow Melt in Popular Parts of Antarctica 0222.rtf

Flourishing Plants Show Warming Antarctica Undergoing ‘Major Change’ 0222.rtf

Serious, Salty Trouble Is Brewing under Antarctic Glaciers 0222.rtf

Have Tipping Points Already Been Passed for Critical Climate Systems? (2) West Antarctica and the "Doomsday" Glacier 0122.rtf

Crucial West Antarctic Ice Shelf Could Fail within 5 Years 1221.rtf

Climate Change Has Destabilized Earth’s Poles, Imperiling the Rest of the Planet 1221.rtf

Antarctic Lake’s Disappearance Might Offer Clues about Melting Ice Shelves 0721.rtf

Antarctic Nearing Climate Disaster despite Landmark Historic Treaty 0621.rtf

Melting Pine Island Glacier Was Already the Biggest Source of Sea Level Rise. Then Things Got Worse. 0621.rtf

Antarctica Sheds World’s Largest Iceberg, Nearly 4 X as Big as New York City 0521.rtf

Meeting Paris Climate Goal Critical to Prevent Antarctic Ice Shelf Disintegration 0521.rtf - 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.rtf

West Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier Tipping Point Confirmed for 1st Time 0421.rtf

Iceberg Bigger than New York City Broke Off near a UK Base in Antarctica 0221.rtf

West Antarctica's Getz Glaciers Flowing Faster 0221.rtf

Warming Seas Carving into Massive Antarctic Glacier Could Trigger Rising Seas 0223.rtf

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 Ocean Reveals New Signs of Rapid Melt of Ancient Ice, Clues about Future Sea Level Rise 0520.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.

East Antarctica's Glaciers Are Stirring 1218.rtf

Antarctic Ocean Reveals New Signs of Rapid Melt of Ancient Ice, Clues about Future Sea Level Rise 0520.rtf

Antarctic Ice Melt Related to Tropical Weather Shifts – a Game Changer? 0420.rtf

- 2.3 trillion tonnes in 15 years

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

Undermined by Warm Water, West Antarctic Glacier Lost 1,607 Feet of Ice Thickness in under 10 Years 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