Categories: Cryosphere Capsules

Following a High Emissions Pathway Could Double Antarctic Freshwater Release into the Ocean by 2100

Geophysical Research Letters, 8 December 2024

Melting Antarctic ice releases freshwater into the Southern Ocean, with profound impacts on regional and global climate systems, as well as sea-level rise. A new study projects how the amount of freshwater released into the ocean through ice shelf subsurface melting, iceberg calving, and surface meltwater runoff will change through to the year 2300. Results show that following a low emissions pathway can limit changes in the amount and nature of freshwater discharge from Antarctica in coming centuries. Under a very-high emissions scenario, however, the amount of freshwater discharged from Antarctica could double by 2100, and quadruple by 2300, risking the triggering of severe and unpredictable feedbacks within global climate and ocean current systems.

Full paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GL111250

Pam Pearson

Recent Posts

Without Emissions Cuts, A Real Risk of Extreme Sea-level Rise by 2100

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 23 April 2026 Observations suggest we are currently tracking…

1 week ago

Increasing Avalanche Risk from Himalayan Hanging Glaciers

NPJ Natural Hazards, 16 April 2026) Rising temperatures and shifting regional precipitation patterns are reducing…

1 week ago

Heavier Rainfall, Glacier Melt Increase Flooding Across the Tibetan Plateau

Nature Communications, 18 March 2026 This study identified a marked increase in both flood frequency…

1 week ago

Intense Ocean Warming, Even If Temporary, Could Trigger Major Antarctic Ice Loss

The Cryosphere, 7 April 2026 Projections of Antarctica’s response to temporary but extreme ocean warming…

1 week ago

Antarctic Sea Ice Decline Linked to Extreme Weather and Climate Patterns

The Cryosphere, 1 April 2026 Antarctic sea ice stayed fairly steady from 2010-2014, but began…

1 week ago

COP30 Video of the Week: Emerging Evidence of Abrupt Changes in the Antarctic Environment

Changes in Antarctica can trigger fast and cascading impacts, often with global consequences. Multiple abrupt…

1 week ago