The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is the most vulnerable region of the continent, and has the potential to contribute several meters of sea level rise in coming centuries. When warm waters flow over the continental shelf, they can erode the ice from its base and produce instabilities in the ice sheet. Over time, these instabilities can lead to widespread melting and collapse of the WAIS, triggering rapid sea-level rise. This session highlights the potential impact of sea-level rise on Egypt, the host of COP27, under various emission scenarios to show the importance of limiting temperature rise. Presenters include Dr. Florence Colleoni, Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics, co-chief officer of the new SCAR scientific research program INSTANT (Instabilities and Thresholds in Antarctica), and Pam Pearson, Director of ICCI.
Nature Communications, 29 May 2026 The soils of Arctic river deltas store large amounts of…
Scientific Reports, 27 May 2026 Rising global temperatures increase the exposure of communities and infrastructure…
Global Environmental Change, 20 May 2026 In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, reducing greenhouse gas emissions could…
Nature Sustainability, 4 May 2026 Sediment records from the Last Inter-Glacial (LIG) period suggest that…
NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science, 20 May 2026 Human-caused warming has been the primary driver…
Nature Communications, 27 May 2026 Sudden drainage of meltwater lakes through water-filled fractures can locally…