In a startling revelation, scientists have discovered that the Hektoria Glacier on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula has retreated five miles in just two months — a rate nearly ten times faster than any previously recorded for a grounded glacier. The findings, published in Nature Geoscience, underscore the accelerating pace of Antarctic ice loss.
Glaciologists had been closely observing the Larsen Bay region since 2021, anticipating the collapse of a massive sea ice sheet attached to the shoreline. When that ice finally broke away in January 2022, researchers continued their monitoring to understand how nearby glaciers would react.
“Glaciers tend to respond dramatically when the floating part of their structure is removed,” explained Naomi Ochwat, glaciologist at the University of Colorado Boulder and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Innsbruck.
The study paints a sobering picture of how fragile Antarctic ice systems are — and how swiftly they can destabilise in a warming world. Read More
News Credit: abc news
Picture Credit: Naomi Ochwat