Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, February 2025 A recent report on marine and coastal climate change highlights the increasing threat of ocean acidification in the Northwest European region, specifically focusing on the UK and Ireland. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels increased 52% above pre-industrial levels in 2024, mainly resulting from fossil fuel combustion, cement production […]

Nature Communications, 11 March 2025 Information from multiple models strengthens the long-held understanding that Arctic sea ice loss impacts weather patterns in other parts of the world. As Arctic ice melts, it shifts air pressure, leading to drier winters in the southwestern United States and wetter winters in the Mediterranean. These changes happen relatively quickly, […]

Nature Communications, 2 December 2024 Research from the Norwegian Polar Institute studied ice loss from calving glaciers in the Arctic, focusing on the Austfonna ice cap in Svalbard. Researchers combined satellite data with ocean records and runoff models from 2018-2022. They found that melting and breaking happen mainly in autumn, even for fast-flowing glaciers. In […]

The Cryosphere, 14 March 2025 This study uses ice sheet model simulations to predict how the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet will contribute to global sea-level rise this century. The researchers calibrated the model to accurately reflect observed ice sheet geometry from various climate models in order to simulate future behavior. Predictions indicate a sea-level […]

Friday March 21st marked the first-ever World Day for Glaciers, bringing together global leaders, cryosphere scientists, and policymakers to address the urgent need for glacier preservation and water security in the face of climate change. This high-level event was held at UN Headquarters in New York alongside ongoing events and sessions in Paris. World Day […]

Today marks the first-ever World Day for Glaciers, bringing together global leaders, cryosphere scientists, and policymakers to address the urgent need for glacier preservation and water security in the face of climate change. A high-level event will be held at UN Headquarters in New York from 10am-1pm ET today, alongside ongoing events and sessions in […]

Nature Communications, 6 March 2025 This study reports that the sudden drainage of a lake beneath Thwaites Glacier temporarily doubled the melting of its ice shelf in 2013, pushing ice loss to greater heights than expected. The quick release of lake meltwater, in combination with deep circumpolar ocean waters continually eroding ice shelf cavities, led […]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 12 January 2025 The AMOC is a large, intertwined system of ocean currents that transports heat throughout the Atlantic Ocean, playing a key role in the regulation of ocean temperatures and global climate patterns. By quantifying the AMOC’s impact on ocean carbon uptake, this study shows that a […]

Communications Earth and Environment, 7 March 2025 Geo-engineering efforts to add an underwater “curtain” to the fjord of one of Greenland’s largest glaciers would not prevent further retreat under even a low emissions scenario, and comes with a plethora of economic and cultural concerns from local Indigenous Peoples. Previous hypotheses suggested that a curtain or […]

The Arctic and Southern Oceans are crucial components of the global climate system. Their unique ecosystems are under serious threat from warming, acidification, freshening and ice loss. Polar oceans are already experiencing changes in chemistry, and continued warming is leading to population range shifts, changes in food webs, ecosystems, fisheries, and climate regulation. Speakers highlighted […]

Nature, 19 February 2025 A comprehensive analysis from the Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise, or GlaMBIE, reveals global glaciers are losing ice at an alarming rate, averaging 270 billion tonnes annually from 2000 to 2023, with a significant acceleration in recent years. This mass loss, surpassing both Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet contributions, made glaciers […]

Nature and Environmental Research Letters, 26 February and 3 March 2025 Two recent studies refine predictions of North Atlantic and Antarctic ocean circulation behavior this century, highlighting the interconnectedness of the Earth’s polar oceans and climate system. Together, the studies emphasize the urgent need for mitigation of emissions, to avoid major disruption to the delicate […]

Nature Communications Earth and Environment, 21 February 2025 A new study reveals a significant structural shift in Antarctic sea ice patterns over the past decade. While Antarctic sea ice showed a long-term slightly increasing trend until 2016, patterns changed in 2017 with multiple consecutive summers displaying record-low amounts of sea ice. By reconstructing sea ice […]

NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science, 27 February 2025 The “El Niño Southern Oscillation”, or ENSO, is known to influence variability in sea ice. This study investigates the linear and nonlinear data trends of ENSO’s impact on Antarctic sea ice predictability. Findings reveal that ENSO’s influence on sea ice extent is not uniform, displaying both predictable […]

In honor of the very first International Glaciers’ Day on March 21, this presentation outlines results from the recent Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise (GlaMBIE) noted above, via a large international research team under the coordination of the WMO’s World Glacier Monitoring Service. GlaMBIE collected, homogenized and analyzed glacier mass changes from different field and […]