Antarctica's Ice Shelves Are Vulnerable to Melting From Below—Knowing How Far Ocean Heat Reaches Is Crucial
- A 20-year survey shows warm circumpolar deep water is moving closer to Antarctica's ice shelves, confirming climate model predictions with real data.
- Deep ocean currents regulate Earth's climate by moving heat and nutrients; near Antarctica, circumpolar deep water can reach near freezing temperatures but is now warming.
- The volume of warm deep water near Antarctica has increased across most longitudes, as revealed by data from robotic Argo floats and machine learning.
- Warming circumpolar deep water threatens Antarctic ice shelves, risking sea level rise and potentially disrupting the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Earth's carbon sink, urging urgent further study.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Antarctica's ice shelves are vulnerable to melting from below—knowing how far ocean heat reaches is crucial
A rare dataset collected by instruments at the point where Antarctica's largest ice shelf begins to float reveals ocean processes that drive melting at this critical part of the continent.
The advance of warmer water bodies towards Antarctica, confirmed by unprecedented long-term measurements, led scientists to light an alert on changes already underway in the global climate system. The finding is part of a study led by the University of Cambridge, UK, in partnership with the University of California, released on Tuesday, and marks the first consistent observational evidence of a process until then predicted only by climate models.
Observador
Noticias ao MinutoThe ice masses were previously protected by a layer of cold water, but the results of a study have now revealed the presence of hot water that can melt the Antarctic platforms.
Warm Deep-Ocean Water Advancing Toward Antarctica in Decades-Long Shift
London (SPX) Apr 29, 2026 A new decades-long study of oceanographic data has provided the first observational evidence that deep-ocean heat is advancing toward Antarctica, raising fresh concerns about the stability of the ice shelves that ring the continent. The study, led by the University of Cambridge with collaborators at the University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and UCLA, drew on long-t
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