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 […]

Nature Climate Change, 16 February 2026 The Antarctic Ice Sheet does not respond to warming as a single system, but rather many separate regions or drainage basins — each with its own “tipping point” (risk of long-term ice loss). Some basins would lose ice gradually as temperatures rise, while others reach thresholds where large amounts […]

Frontiers in Environmental Science, 20 February 2026 The Antarctic Peninsula has been warming 0.3-0.5°C per decade since the 1950s, up to two times faster than the global average. If global warming exceeds 2°C, the region faces substantial and irreversible damage, including major losses of sea ice, collapse of ice shelves, and rapid glacier retreat. These […]

Water Resources Research, 9 February 2026 Glaciers in the Tien Shan mountains of Asia are projected to rapidly shrink this century, with one-third of their 2020 ice volume expected to disappear before 2040 and two-thirds by 2100 even under low emissions. Nearly all (93%) ice will however be lost this century if today’s very high […]

The Cryosphere, 8 December 2025 Present-day human choices on emissions pathways will have long-lasting consequences for melt and sea-level rise from the Greenland Ice Sheet. By 2100, Greenland is projected to contribute between 16-76 mm of sea-level rise under low emissions, 22-163 mm under moderate emissions, and 27-354 mm under high emissions. When projections are […]

The Amazon rainforest and the Earth’s cryosphere, though geographically distant, are profoundly interconnected. Deforestation and biomass burning in Amazonía is linked to Andean glacier melt and downstream hydrological changes that impact biodiversity and affect species which migrate between these regions. This side event was moderated by Dr. James Yeates, CEO of the World Federation for […]

Nature Communications, 11 February 2026, Early Views) The Greenland Ice Sheet has seen an increase in extreme summer melting since the 1950s, with melt events becoming more frequent, widespread, and severe. Seven of the ten most extreme melt events have occurred since 2000, with meltwater up to three times higher than the average. Rising temperatures […]

The Cryosphere, 3 February 2026 Greenland contains many glaciers along its edge that are separate from its massive main ice sheet. This study concludes that the future of these peripheral glaciers largely depends on future emissions. Under low emissions, these glaciers are expected to lose 19% of their area and 29% of their volume by […]