PNAS Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 2 March 2026 Satellite radar observations from 1992-2025 show concentrated areas of rapid retreat of the “grounding line,” where where this massive ice sheet meets the ocean floor. These regions include Wilkes and George V Lands in East Antarctica; the Bellingshausen Sea, Amundsen Sea, and Getz Ice Shelf sectors […]

Nature, 4 March 2026 A review of 385 coastal hazard studies published between 2009 and 2025 found that more than 99% of them inadequately integrate sea levels with land elevation data, often underrepresenting coastal risk. About 90% of studies relied on “zero elevation geoid models” rather than measured sea-level data, which led to systematic errors. […]

AGU Geophysical Research Letters, 6 March 2026 This study found a statistically significant increase in the rate of warming since 2015, even after accounting for natural sources of temperature variability such as El Niño events, volcanic eruptions, and solar variation. Adjusting for these factors reduced short-term variability in the temperature record and revealed that the […]

Nature Communications Earth & Environment, 24 January 2026 Arctic warming is thawing carbon-rich permafrost, which contributes additional greenhouse gas emissions. Some of this thaw occurs gradually, but some occurs in “abrupt thaw” events, for example in association with wildfires, or when a hillside collapses and leads to exposure of permafrost soils. Many global models however […]

Next week in Paris, policymakers, science experts, and stakeholders will close the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP) and kickstart the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences from March 18-19 at UNESCO. Dedicated sessions and side events will highlight the vital links between the cryosphere, water resources, and gender equality. The full program and registration […]

Communications Earth & Environment, 26 February 2026 For thousands of years, emperor penguins have relied on stable, coastal sea ice to safely molt, a vulnerable period when they regrow waterproof feathers and cannot enter the ocean to feed. However, recent record-low Antarctic sea ice has caused some of these platforms to melt before molting was […]

Danish Meteorological Institute, 16 February 2026 Greenland’s west coast experienced its warmest January on record, with Nuuk recording the highest monthly average temperature in its measurement history and multiple towns setting new monthly highs along a 2,000-kilometer stretch of coastline. In Nuuk, the monthly average surpassed the 1991-2020 climate norm, while Ilulissat exceeded its previous […]

JGR Atmospheres, 2 March 2026 Rain-on-snow events in Greenland have dramatically increased in frequency, size and intensity since the 1940s, with particularly rapid growth over the past four decades. In summer, an increasing proportion of precipitation falls as rain, which melts snow and leaves ice unprotected, leading to further melt. Rising global temperatures also impact […]

Nature Communications, 26 February 2026 Extreme rainfall in permafrost regions alters soil temperature not only near the surface but also deep underground, increasing thaw and climate feedbacks. Across 131 sites in the Northern Hemisphere, monitoring equipment found that intense periods of rainfall cooled near-surface soils, but warmed deeper layers. The impacts of extreme rainfall also […]

Permafrost thaw not only emits carbon into the atmosphere and destabilizes ground, but also poses increasing hazards to human health, animals, and ecosystems. Speakers discussed observed land degradation and displacement of Arctic communities, and also explored how this thaw alters coastal environments, pushing beyond limits of adaptation into loss and damage. As part of a […]

Nature Communications, 29 October 2025 Climate models fine-tuned to the interactions between ice sheets, oceans, and the atmosphere show that increasing Antarctic meltwater could alter global heat and precipitation patterns already this century, while simultaneously driving highly uneven sea-level rise and far-reaching climatic disruption. The study finds that Antarctic meltwater will slightly slow temperature rise […]

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 12 February 2026 Global analysis of over 3,100 surging glaciers reveals clusters of fast-moving ice in dense groupings across the Arctic, High Mountain Asia, and the Andes. A glacier surge occurs when glacier ice suddenly flows much faster, rapidly pushing forward as it descends into lower elevations. While they only […]

Nature Communications Earth & Environment, 18 February 2026 Fast-flowing tidewater glaciers on the edges of the Greenland Ice Sheet provide feeding grounds for large marine species, including ringed seals, which feed on polar cod in meltwater flowing beneath the ice. Working in close collaboration with Inuit hunters in Inglefield Bredning, researchers used acoustic data to […]

Nature Scientific Reports, 11 February 2026 The reproductive rate of southern right whales has declined in the last decade as warming waters and shrinking sea ice reduce nutrient and prey availability. The average time between births has increased over the past three decades, growing from each female producing a calf every 3 years to now […]

Emperor penguins rely on stable fast ice around Antarctica from April to December for successful breeding. The decline in Antarctic sea ice since 2016 has led to breeding failure at numerous colonies. Models suggest that 98% of colonies will be extinct by 2100 under a high-warming scenario, but this can be limited to 60% if […]