Abrupt Changes in Antarctic Ice, Ocean, Ecosystems Trigger Cascading Impacts

Nature, 20 August 2025

Rapid changes unfolding across the Antarctic Ice Sheet and Southern Ocean are more interconnected than previously understood, with shrinking sea ice, fast-melting glaciers, slowing ocean currents, and habitat loss increasingly pushing each other out of balance. This study draws connections between multiple abrupt changes that began to occur in Antarctica over the past decade. For example: not only did sea ice shrink to record-breaking lows during this period, but this loss increased ocean heat absorption, exposed the edges of ice shelves to stronger waves, altered the flow of deep ocean currents, and reduced the breeding habitat available to species such as penguins. Rising temperatures and unreliable ice conditions reshape Antarctic land and marine environments, increasing the risk of major biodiversity loss and rapid global sea-level rise. Stabilizing Earth’s climate with minimal overshoot of 1.5°C will be imperative alongside global adaptation measures to minimize and prepare for the far-reaching impacts of Antarctic and Southern Ocean abrupt changes.

Full Paper | Plain-Language Summary by the Authors