Antarctica has lost 8x the size of London in ice over last 30 years

"It's like the balloon that's not punctured everywhere, but where it is punctured, it's punctured deep. We've known it's critically important for 30 years, but this is the first time we've mapped it comprehensively across all of Antarctica over such a long time span."

"The most dramatic changes have been seen in West Antarctica's Amundsen Sea and Getz regions, where glaciers have retreated by six to 25 miles. Since 1996, the Pine Island Glacier retreated by 20.5 miles and the Smith Glacier by a staggering 26 miles."

"Using satellite data collected over the last three decades, scientists have painstakingly mapped the frozen continent's shrinking borders. This revealed that the continent's ice loss is far more concentrated than scientists had previously thought."

Satellite data spanning three decades reveals Antarctica's ice loss is highly concentrated rather than widespread. Scientists mapped the grounding line migration—where continental ice shelves meet the ocean—finding that 77 percent of Antarctica's ice sheet remained stable since 1996. However, Western Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula, and parts of East Antarctica experienced dramatic ice loss averaging 170 square miles annually, totaling nearly 5,000 square miles. Major glaciers like Pine Island Glacier retreated 20.5 miles and Smith Glacier retreated 26 miles. This comprehensive mapping, compiled from multiple space agencies including NASA and ESA, demonstrates how Antarctica's grounding line responds to warming ocean temperatures.

Read at Mail Online