New Observations Reveal Greater Antarctic Grounding Line Exposure to Warm Waters

Scientific Reports, 3 January 2025

A new Antarctic-wide measuring project (using gravity inversion for bathymetry) that includes all Antarctic ice shelves has shown a deeper continental shelf in many regions, along with previously unknown underwater canyons. These would result in an overall greater exposure of the Antarctic ice sheet’s grounding line (where the ice rests on bedrock) to warmer waters. The greater depths of canyons on the continental shelf, as well as ice shelf cavities, imply that many glaciers are more vulnerable to ocean subsurface warming than previously thought, which may increase melting and projections of sea-level rise from Antarctica.

Full paper: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81599-1