Nature Climate Change, 4 July 2025 This landmark study offers the first high-resolution, continent-wide map of surface meltwater across Antarctica, finding that East Antarctica contains multiple hotspots where rapid ponding and melting has occurred over the past two decades. These hotspots with more meltwater ponds are located along the entire edge of the East Antarctic […]

Nature Climate Change, 4 July 2025 Daily observations of surface melt over the past three decades show that overall melting of Greenland’s surface has significantly increased each year, and East Antarctica has also registered significant surface melting. These spikes in surface melt are driven by a wide range of factors, worsened by rising global temperatures. […]

Nature Geoscience, 1 July 2025 Researchers tracking sea ice, ocean swell and ice shelf conditions over multiple years in two sectors of Antarctica have identified key triggers and common patterns of large-scale Antarctic ice shelf calving events. Floating slurries of sea ice protect the margins of ice shelves from incoming ocean waves, which can strike […]

Dr. Robbie Mallett from the University of Tromsø shared a synopsis of the current state of Arctic sea ice, reflected on recent trends and record-setting lows, and explained how today’s policies shape the future Arctic sea ice. Latest observations highlight the increasing severity of Arctic climate change, with significant implications not only for communities and […]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 30 June 2025 Satellite observations have revealed a sharp increase in the salinity of ocean surface waters surrounding Antarctica since 2015, with strong implications for sea ice having passed a threshold of continued decline; a surprising finding that models had not predicted. For decades, the surface of the […]

Communications Earth and Environment, 4 June 2025 Black carbon emissions have significantly reduced frozen water storage across the Tibetan Plateau, driving one-third of ice loss there from 2007 to 2016, shrinking a crucial freshwater source for millions. Black carbon air pollution directly increases ice loss by darkening the surface of snow and ice when these […]

Communications Earth and Environment, 9 June 2025 This research suggests that warming coastal waters will significantly increase the occurrence of harmful algal blooms in high-latitude regions. The study projects that warmer ocean temperatures will lead to higher levels of these toxic blooms during spring and autumn, posing a heightened risk to seafood safety and wildlife. […]

Communications Earth and Environment, 10 June 2025 Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have declined two times faster than previously predicted since the turn of the century, indicating a worrying loss of habitat and resources as temperatures rise. High-resolution satellite imagery focused on the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, and Bellingshausen Sea regions finds that populations shrunk […]

Major tipping points for Earth’s ice sheets and mountain glaciers can occur at temperatures well below 1.5°C. Lead authors of two recent papers – one on ice sheets, the second on glaciers – urged governments to adopt far more ambitious climate commitments by COP30 to prevent the worst impacts. Historical records show that even current […]

Dear Friends of the Cryosphere Pavilion and Cryosphere Capsule Readers, Due to ongoing confusion and to avoid misrepresentation, ICCI and its partners wish to clarify that the Albedo Foundation’s Pavilion de la Cryosphère, located in the Green Zone at the third United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC 3) which began in Nice today, has no association […]

Communications Earth and Environment, 30 May 2025 Research analyzing the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s behavior over the past 800,000 years finds that a minimal increase in ocean temperatures above today’s levels, or even no additional warming at all if today’s temperatures continue, could trigger the irreversible collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Historically, WAIS […]

Nature, 4 June 2025 The North Atlantic Ocean experienced an unprecedented marine heatwave in summer 2023, driven by unusually weak winds which slowed heat redistribution and rapidly warmed the ocean’s surface. In a single summer, this heatwave warmed North Atlantic waters at a speed equivalent to two decades of typical regional warming. Record-breaking low wind […]

Communications Earth and Environment, 31 May 2025 In areas of southwest Greenland, researchers found that the landscapes left behind following glacier retreat no longer behave as net carbon sinks, but as sources of carbon pollution to the atmosphere. Initially, glacial meltwater interacting with these newly exposed areas can lead to the absorption of carbon dioxide […]

Since 2016, Antarctic sea ice has remained below the long-term average, with extreme lows in recent summers and winters. These extremes impact terrestrial and marine ecosystems, heat and nutrient distribution, ocean circulation, and expose the margins of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to greater wave and storm activity. Speakers included Stefanie Ardent, Alfred Wegener Institute; Will […]

Science, 29 May 2025 An international study finds that glaciers are even more sensitive to global warming than previously estimated, with only 24% of present-day glacier mass remaining if the world warms to 2.7°C, the trajectory set by current climate policies. In contrast, limiting warming to 1.5°C would preserve 54% of glacier mass. These figures […]