Narrow Channels on Bottom of Antarctic Ice Shelves Amplify Melting

Nature Climate Change, 9 January 2026

Warm water draining and flowing beneath ice shelves carves channels into the ice, where intense localized melting occurs, with peak melt rates 42–50% higher than previously estimated. High-resolution satellite elevation data combined with radar measurements from 2010-2017 make it possible to map these channels as they deepen and shift. The channels are located in thin and already damaged parts of ice shelves, where faster melting can quickly cut through the ice and further weaken its structural support. The findings indicate that many large-scale ice sheet models fail to capture these more minute aspects of ice shelf stability, suggesting future sea-level rise could occur faster than anticipated if these buttresses lose their ability to restrain the weight of the ice sheet behind them.

Paper