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Monitoring ice shelves, glaciers, and sea ice
Ours is called ‘The Blue Planet’ but only a small fraction of that water is fresh and drinkable—and of that, around 70% is frozen, as ice, on Antarctica. This ice is bound up in the kilometres-thick ice on the continent that we call the ice shelves, bunched up and on the move are the glaciers (such as the Totten and Thwaites glaciers), or extending out into the Southern Ocean as ice shelves and sea ice. With the aid of satellites and ice breakers, we can observe, quantify, and take measurements of this continent-sized resource.
Research topics
At the Antarctic Science Foundation, we are engaged in the study of ice – continental and sea ice – and its relationship with the climate and oceans.
Continental ice: Ice sheets, glaciers
Antarctic’s continental ice carries most of our planet’s fresh water. It is composed of millions of years of snow that has fallen, accumulated and compacted into great sheets that we divide into the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets. The research interest in the continental ice sheets is great given their potential for long-term but calamitous rises in sea level.
Sea ice: Ice streams, ice shelves, icebergs
Antarctica’s sea ice, which grows and retracts annually, has in the 21st century proven unpredictable in the extreme. The extent of the sea ice – that is ‘how far’ ice reaches from the continent’s coast outward into the Southern Ocean – is measured at two extremes: its maximum extent (during Austral winter) and its minimum extent (during Austral summer). In just the last 20 years we’ve observed the greatest extent of winter sea ice – occurring from 2012–2014 – as well as the continent’s most feeblest attempt at sea ice formation with a shocking minimum in the summers of 2022 and 2023. The study of Antarctica’s sea ice and its placement in the short- and long-term contexts of history is vital.
NEWS | Antarctic glaciers and ice shelves
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Ice shelves hold back Antarctica’s glaciers from adding to sea levels – but they’re crumbling（https://theconversation.com/ice-shelves-hold-back-antarcticas-glaciers-from-adding-to-sea-levels-but-theyre-crumbling-185509）
Previous estimates of ice shelf loss come from satellite measurements, which captured ice shelves gradually thinning in recent years. We tracked how much extra ice had been lost as icebergs calve away from the retreating edge of the continent. We found Antarctica’s ice shelves have lost twice as much mass as previous studies suggested. Read more on The Conversation（https://theconversation.com/ice-shelves-hold-back-antarcticas-glaciers-from-adding-to-sea-levels-but-theyre-crumbling-185509）
Read more →（https://antarcticsciencefoundation.org/bloge/2023/6/29/ice-shelves-hold-back-antarcticas-glaciers-from-adding-to-sea-levels-but-theyre-crumbling）
Antarctic sea ice levels dive in 'five-sigma event', as experts flag worsening consequences for planet（https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-24/antarctic-sea-ice-levels-nosedive-five-sigma-event/102635204）
This winter has confirmed what scientists had feared — the sea ice around Antarctica is in sharp decline, with experts now concerned it may not recover. Earlier this year, scientists observed an all-time low in the amount of sea ice around the icy continent, following all-time lows in 2016, 2017 and 2022. Usually, the ice has been able to recover in winter, when Antarctica is reliably dark and cold. Read more on the ABC（https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-24/antarctic-sea-ice-levels-nosedive-five-sigma-event/102635204）
Read more →（https://antarcticsciencefoundation.org/bloge/2023/7/27/antarctic-sea-ice-levels-dive-in-five-sigma-event-as-experts-flag-worsening-consequences-for-planet）
The Antarctic ice sheet is melting. And this is bad news for humanity（https://theconversation.com/the-antarctic-ice-sheet-is-melting-and-this-is-bad-news-for-humanity-200972）
Thousands of kilometres to the south, we can see a similar issue on a much larger scale in the Antarctic, where the sea ice is also struggling to form.