Ice Melt in the Northern Hemisphere Destabilized Antarctica

Nature, November 25

From 20,000 to 9,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, rapid melt of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets raised sea levels around Antarctica by 80-130 meters, which in turn drove the rapid retreat of the Antarctica Ice Sheet. These rapid sea-level changes triggered ice shelf loss and retreat of Antarctic grounding lines – the place where an ice sheet becomes a floating ice shelf, which in turn led to accelerated loss of Antarctic ice; demonstrating the strong connection between the two poles. The Weddell Sea region, between the Antarctic Peninsula and East Antarctica, appeared especially sensitive to this change in sea-level rise. The continued melting of ice in the Northern Hemisphere caused by anthropogenic climate change and subsequent rising sea levels could similarly contribute to a renewed destabilization of the marine-based sectors of the Antarctic Ice Sheet today.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2916-2

Compiled by Amy Imdieke.