A large-scale study by glaciologists at the University of California, Irvine, provides the first complete map of Antarctica’s ice line migration over three decades. Satellite data showed that most of the ice sheet remains stable, but in vulnerable sectors, losses are occurring at a catastrophic rate. Every three years, an area of ice comparable in size to the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area separates from the mainland.
The overlap line is the boundary where continental ice meets the ocean. It is its movement that is considered the gold standard for assessing the stability of ice sheets. For the first time, scientists were able to create a continuous picture of changes over 30 years from 1996 to 2026.
The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They show that 77% of Antarctica’s coastline remains unchanged. However, rapid retreat has been recorded in West Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula and parts of East Antarctica. The total ice loss was 12,820 square kilometers—about 10 areas the size of Greater Los Angeles.
Lead author Eric Ringo explains that warm ocean water driven beneath glaciers by winds creates deep wounds. in the ice sheet. It’s like a balloon that isn’t pierced everywhere, but there are serious holes where it’s punctured.
Data from many satellite missions were used for the analysis: European ERS-1/2 and Sentinel-1, Canadian RADARSAT, Japanese ALOS/PALSAR-2, Italian COSMO-SkyMed, German TerraSAR-X and Argentine SAOCOM. For the first time, commercial satellite data was actively used in polar research, ushering in a new era in ice sheet monitoring.
However, scientists cannot explain all the changes. In the northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula, significant glacial retreat has been recorded, but there is no evidence of the presence of warm water there. The Edgeworth, Boydell, Sjögren and other glaciers lost kilometers, while the Hectoria, Green and Evans glaciers retreated 21, 16 and 9 kilometers respectively. The reason remains a mystery for now.
The researchers also emphasize a positive point: 77% of Antarctica remains stable. This helps reconcile discrepancies between different measurement methods. But they warn: what is calm today may become a new risk zone tomorrow.
Source: Phys.org
Image: Pixabay
