Filchner Ice Shelf System, Antarctica
Understanding the contribution that polar ice sheets make to global sea-level rise is recognised internationally as urgent. The mission of this five-year project is to capture new observations and data …
Sea-level rise
Changes to the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets affects sea level all over the world.
Changes to the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets affects sea level all over the world. On the Antarctic Peninsula and in West Antarctica, the ice sheet is thinning, and satellite data reveals this rate is accelerating. Warm ocean currents deep beneath the ice shelves are melting the ice and causing it to flow into the sea faster than snow can accumulate.
iSTAR – Stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Science on the move – the mission to understand the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
iSTAR-B Ocean circulation and melting beneath the ice shelves of the south-eastern Amundsen Sea
iStar-B studies ocean circulation and melting beneath the ice shelves of the south-eastern Amundsen Sea
Antarctic tipping points
1 June, 2023
Concern is rising about tipping points in the Antarctic region (Armstrong et al., 2022). Recent heatwaves, changes in the Southern Ocean, and a reduction in the extent of Antarctic sea …
Sea-level rise
30 June, 2022
Introduction Sea-level rise increases the frequency of coastal flooding events and threatens coastal populations around the world. Why is sea-level rise important? Around 148 million people are exposed to coastal …
Seals to act as sentinels of remote Antarctic glacier
29 January, 2019
Scientists will use two species of seals to investigate a huge glacier in West Antarctica that is at risk of collapse. A team of over 20 polar scientists from the …
Scientists drill to record depths in West Antarctica
24 January, 2019
A team of scientists and engineers has for the first time successfully drilled over two kilometres through the ice sheet in West Antarctica using hot water. This research will help …
Essential cargo delivered for science on Thwaites Glacier
14 January, 2019
The British Antractic Survey’s vessel RRS Ernest Shackleton teamed up with the Royal Navy survey ship HMS Protector to help scientists begin a five-year mission to understand how West Antarctica …
Ambitious UK-U.S. Antarctic research mission begins
19 November, 2018
A team of UK and U.S. polar scientists are about to embark on one of the largest joint Antarctic missions for more than 70 years. It’s the first field season …
Melt-rate of West Antarctic Ice Sheet highly sensitive to changes in ocean temperatures
13 August, 2018
Melting of ice shelves in West Antarctica speeds up and slows down in response to changes in deep ocean temperature, and is far more variable than previously thought, according to …
Subglacial valleys and mountain ranges discovered near South Pole
24 May, 2018
Revealing Antarctica’s hidden world
Giant West Antarctic iceberg disintegrates
29 November, 2017
An animation of the giant iceberg that calved off the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica just over two months ago shows an unexpected break up. Satellite images revealed a …
Maps reveal landscape beneath Antarctica’s weak underbelly
20 November, 2017
A UK team of researchers has produced high-resolution maps of the bed beneath a major glacier in West Antarctica, which will help them predict future sea-level rise from this region. …
Large iceberg breaks off Pine Island Glacier
27 September, 2017
Latest satellite images reveal a new 100-square-mile iceberg emerging from Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier. The calving event did not come as a complete surprise, but is a troubling sign with …
Local weather plays part in retreat of glacier
17 February, 2017
Local weather plays an important part in the retreat of the ice shelves in West Antarctica, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications today (Friday 17 February). …