Antarctica’s Ice Sheet Grows After Decades

The Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) is a key contributor to global sea-level rise. Since 2002, NASA’s GRACE and GRACE-FO satellite missions have tracked ice mass changes across the region. While earlier research consistently showed ongoing ice loss—especially in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula—glaciers in East Antarctica remained mostly stable. However, a new study by Dr. Wang and Prof. Shen from Tongji University reports a surprising reversal: between 2021 and 2023, the AIS saw a record increase in total ice mass.

Significantly, four major glaciers in East Antarctica’s Wilkes Land–Queen Mary Land region shifted from rapid mass loss between 2011 and 2020 to substantial mass gain between 2021 and 2023.

Between 2002 and 2010, the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) lost mass at an average rate of –73.79±56.27 Gt/year, which nearly doubled to –142.06±56.12 Gt/year from 2011 to 2020, largely due to increased ice loss in West Antarctica and the Wilkes Land–Queen Mary Land region of East Antarctica. However, this trend reversed between 2021 and 2023, when the AIS gained mass at a rate of 107.79±74.90 Gt/year, mainly due to unusually high snowfall.

Accordingly, changes in the AIS contributed to global sea level rise at rates of 0.20±0.16 mm/year from 2002 to 2010 and 0.39±0.15 mm/year from 2011 to 2020. In contrast, from 2021 to 2023, the AIS had a negative impact on sea level, reducing it by 0.30±0.21 mm/year.

Increased Mass Loss in Wilkes Land–Queen Mary Land (2011–2020)

The four major glacier basins in the Wilkes Land–Queen Mary Land region—Totten, Moscow University, Denman, and Vincennes Bay—saw intensified mass loss at a rate of 47.64±8.14 Gt/year during 2011–2020 compared to the 2002–2010 period, with the affected areas extending further inland. According to researchers, this accelerated loss was mainly caused by reduced surface mass (accounting for 72.53%) and increased ice discharge (27.47%).

Importantly, the total collapse of these four glaciers could lead to a global sea level rise of over 7 meters. Their significant ice loss trends serve as a serious climate warning, highlighting the urgent need for closer scientific monitoring of their stability.

Read the original article on: Scitech Daily

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