The Latest Breaking News from West Antarctica

Rapid melting of the Thwaites Glacier in west Antarctica began in the 1940s following an unusually hot El Niño fluctuation, ice cores have revealed.

Projecting when and how fast the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will lose mass due to current and future global ocean warming – and the likely impact on sea level rise and coastal communities – is a priority for climate science.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet, which covers an area greater than the US and Mexico combined, holds enough water to raise global sea level by more than 57 metres if melted completely. This would flood hundreds of cities worldwide. And evidence suggests it is melting fast. Satellite observations have revealed that…

The study used sophisticated tools to scan the glacier and its grounding line in unprecedented detail.

Global leaders are negotiating about how to cut greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. Scientists say every passing day, and every tenth of a degree, makes a big difference.

Scientists have mapped underwater terrain near the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica for the first time, showing the massive glacier has the potential to retreat at twice the speed observed over the past decade.

According to the most recent report on Climate Change published last year, human activity has already warmed the Earth by 33.9°F.

Flying over Antarctica, it’s hard to see what all the fuss is about. Like a gigantic wedding cake, the frosting of snow on top of the world’s largest ice sheet looks smooth and unblemished, beautiful and perfectly white. Little swirls of snow dunes cover the surface.

Scientists are seeking to understand the fate of Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier.