Study Confirms 'Abrupt Changes' in Antarctica – And The World Will Feel Them

[robosmith]

Study Confirms 'Abrupt Changes' in Antarctica – And The World Will Feel Them

Expert EVIDENCE:

Quote

Nerilie Abram, Chief Scientist, Australian Antarctic Division and Professor of Climate Science, Australian National University; Ariaan Purich, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, Monash University; Felicity McCormack, Antarctic Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer, Monash University; Jan Strugnell, Professor of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, and Matthew England, Deputy Director of the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science and Scientia Professor in Oceanography, UNSW Sydney

Quote

Antarctica has long been seen as a remote, unchanging environment. Not any more.

The ice-covered continent and the surrounding Southern Ocean are undergoing abrupt and alarming changes.Sea ice is shrinking rapidly, the floating glaciers known as ice shelves are melting faster, the ice sheets carpeting the continent are approaching tipping points and vital ocean currents show signs of slowing down.

...

Several authors of this article have witnessed these startling changes during fieldwork on the ice. These changes spell bad news for wildlife, both iconic and lesser known. But the changes will reach much further.

 

What's happening in Antarctica right now will affect the world for generations to come, from rising sea levels to extreme changes in the climate system.

 

What is an abrupt change?

 

Scientists define an abrupt change as a climatic or environmental shift taking place much faster than expected.

 

What makes abrupt changes so concerning is they can amplify themselves. For example, melting sea ice allows oceans to warm more rapidly, which melts more sea ice. Once triggered, they can be difficult or even impossible to reverse on timescales meaningful to humans. [sometimes referred to as a "tipping point"]

 

While it's common to assume incremental warming will translate to gradual change, we're seeing something very different in Antarctica. Over past decades, the Antarctic environment had a much more muted response overall to human-caused climate warming compared to the Arctic. But about a decade ago, abrupt changes began to occur.

...

Shrinking sea ice brings cascading change

Antarctica's natural systems are tightly interwoven. When one system is thrown out of balance, it can trigger cascading effects in others.

 

Sea ice around Antarctica has been declining dramatically since 2014. The expanse of sea ice is now shrinking at double the rate of Arctic sea ice. We found these unfolding changes are unprecedented – far outside the natural variability of past centuries.

 

The implications are far reaching. Sea ice has a reflective, high-albedo surface which reflects heat back to space. When there's less sea ice, more heat is absorbed by darker oceans. Emperor penguins and other species reliant on sea ice for habitat and breeding face real threats. Less sea ice also means Antarctica's ice shelves are more exposed to waves.

...

Melting giants

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet as well as some regions of East Antarctica are now losing ice and contributing to sea level rise. Ice loss has increased sixfold since the 1990s.

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet alone has enough ice to raise global sea levels by more than five metres – and scientists warn we could be nearing the point where this ice sheet could collapse even without substantial further warming, though this might take centuries to millennia.

 

These enormous ice sheets represent the risk of a global tipping point. They contribute the greatest uncertainty to projections of future sea level rise because we don't know just how quickly they could collapse.

Worldwide, at least 750 million people live in low-lying areas near the sea. Rising sea levels threaten coastal infrastructure and communities globally.

So, VERY CHEAP posters here are willing to gamble on "tipping points" not being real nor reached because they believe "it needs to be proven" or "it won't affect them." 

When MAJOR COASTAL CITIES are FLOODED, it WILL AFFECT EVERYONE.

[herbie]

but but but it's natural so we should simply accept New York being underwater....

[Aristides]

17 minutes ago, herbie said:

but but but it's natural so we should simply accept New York being underwater....

They don't care about New York but how about Miami. Tampa, Ft Myers, Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Galveston, Huston, Freeport, Corpus Cristi, New Orleans, Mobil, Pensacola etc. Mara Lago, THE HORROR!

Edited August 23, 2025 by Aristides

[herbie]

Too busy telling each other stories about how the Antarctic ice sheet is growing while A23A slowly drifts into the shipping lanes.

[gatomontes99]

Why do you assume changes = man made? 

We've had hundreds of these "no turning back now" events where the chicken Littles on the left want everyone to give up economic freedom. The sky is falling, so we all must subject ourselves to the liberal over lord's now!

Isn't it weird that not one single "no turning back now" moment happened between 2021 and 2024? But nlw that it's 2025, of fùck the world is ending?! 

You guys are a joke. 

[robosmith]

6 minutes ago, gatomontes99 said:

Why do you assume changes = man made? 

We've had hundreds of these "no turning back now" events where the chicken Littles on the left want everyone to give up economic freedom. The sky is falling, so we all must subject ourselves to the liberal over lord's now!

Isn't it weird that not one single "no turning back now" moment happened between 2021 and 2024? But nlw that it's 2025, of fùck the world is ending?! 

You guys are a joke. 

The joke is you guys, who have ZERO understanding of the science, posting YOUR CERTAINTY that there is NO DANGER of an 11 year long trend continuing and/or being a tipping point from which will be VERY DIFFICULT to REVERSE.

[Aristides]

28 minutes ago, robosmith said:

The joke is you guys, who have ZERO understanding of the science, posting YOUR CERTAINTY that there is NO DANGER of an 11 year long trend continuing and/or being a tipping point from which will be VERY DIFFICULT to REVERSE.

We may have passed the tipping point already, it won’t be until sometime after it happens that we can look back and say, this is was probably it.

[Aristides]

Between 9.5 and ten gigatons of carbon from fossil fuels is released. Into the atmosphere annually. That equates to 35 to 37 gigatons of CO2. Does anyone seriously think we can do that with no consequences?

[Legato]

12 minutes ago, Aristides said:

We may have passed the tipping point already, it won’t be until sometime after it happens that we can look back and say, this is was probably it.

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, covering 5.4 million square miles (14 million square km). The average winter temperature in Antarctica is −81°F (−63°C) and has reached −128.6°F (−89.2°C). About 98% of the Antarctic continent is covered by glacial ice that averages about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in thickness. The total volume of ice in Antarctica is about 6.4 million cubic miles (26.5 million cubic km), comprising about 90% of the world's ice and about 70% of the world's fresh water. The average height of the ice sheet is approximately 10,000 ft above sea level. At its thickest point, the ice is 15,700 ft (4776 m) thick. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is by far the biggest ice sheet, making up 92% of the total glacial ice, while the West Antarctic Ice Sheet makes up only about 8%.

The Steig et al. analysis that all of Antarctica is warming was refuted by O'Donnell et al., who showed that their methodology was badly flawed. Using the same data as Steig et al., but with better technology, they produced a map showing cooling dominating most of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet with warming primarily constrained to the Antarctica Peninsula. Satellite and surface temperature measurements demonstrate that the Steig et al. contention that all of Antarctica is warming is clearly false. Antarctic satellite temperatures show no warming for 37 years. The Southern Ocean around Antarctica has cooled markedly since 2006. Sea ice has increased substantially, especially since 2012. Surface temperatures at 13 stations on or near the Antarctic Peninsula have been cooling sharply since 2006. Ocean temperatures have been plummeting since about 2007, sea ice has reached all-time highs, and temperatures have been cooling since 2000. The Larsen Ice Shelf Station has been cooling at an astonishing rate of 1.8°C per decade (18°C per century) since 1995.

The thickness of most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is more than 6000 ft (2000 m) and large areas are more than 10,000 ft (3000 m) thick. The importance of ice thickness is that virtually all of the ice sheet is considerably thicker than the depth below sea level to bedrock, so the ice is grounded and will not float. If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melts away, where the ice is 10,000 ft thick, the land beneath will rebound isostatically several 1000 ft, bringing most of the subglacial bed above sea level.

The Pine Island and Thwaites outlet glaciers are only about 30 miles across, so draining 2.2 million km3 of ice through their narrow channels or sending sea water 1000 miles under the ice sheet is not plausible. Studies of subglacial geothermal heat flow show that the area under the Thwaites glacier is unusually high and is the most likely cause of subglacial melting, rather than ocean water. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is not collapsing, the retreat of these small glaciers is not caused by global warming, and sea level is not going to rise 10 ft.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128045886000070

 

[gatomontes99]

51 minutes ago, robosmith said:

The joke is you guys, who have ZERO understanding of the science, posting YOUR CERTAINTY that there is NO DANGER of an 11 year long trend continuing and/or being a tipping point from which will be VERY DIFFICULT to REVERSE.

You believe a man can give birth and a dress makes a guy a woman. You believe a ZEF is not human. Don't talk to me about science.

[robosmith]

19 minutes ago, Legato said:

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, covering 5.4 million square miles (14 million square km). The average winter temperature in Antarctica is −81°F (−63°C) and has reached −128.6°F (−89.2°C). About 98% of the Antarctic continent is covered by glacial ice that averages about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in thickness. The total volume of ice in Antarctica is about 6.4 million cubic miles (26.5 million cubic km), comprising about 90% of the world's ice and about 70% of the world's fresh water. The average height of the ice sheet is approximately 10,000 ft above sea level. At its thickest point, the ice is 15,700 ft (4776 m) thick. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is by far the biggest ice sheet, making up 92% of the total glacial ice, while the West Antarctic Ice Sheet makes up only about 8%.

The Steig et al. analysis that all of Antarctica is warming was refuted by O'Donnell et al., who showed that their methodology was badly flawed. Using the same data as Steig et al., but with better technology, they produced a map showing cooling dominating most of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet with warming primarily constrained to the Antarctica Peninsula. Satellite and surface temperature measurements demonstrate that the Steig et al. contention that all of Antarctica is warming is clearly false. Antarctic satellite temperatures show no warming for 37 years. The Southern Ocean around Antarctica has cooled markedly since 2006. Sea ice has increased substantially, especially since 2012. Surface temperatures at 13 stations on or near the Antarctic Peninsula have been cooling sharply since 2006. Ocean temperatures have been plummeting since about 2007, sea ice has reached all-time highs, and temperatures have been cooling since 2000. The Larsen Ice Shelf Station has been cooling at an astonishing rate of 1.8°C per decade (18°C per century) since 1995.

The thickness of most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is more than 6000 ft (2000 m) and large areas are more than 10,000 ft (3000 m) thick. The importance of ice thickness is that virtually all of the ice sheet is considerably thicker than the depth below sea level to bedrock, so the ice is grounded and will not float. If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melts away, where the ice is 10,000 ft thick, the land beneath will rebound isostatically several 1000 ft, bringing most of the subglacial bed above sea level.

The Pine Island and Thwaites outlet glaciers are only about 30 miles across, so draining 2.2 million km3 of ice through their narrow channels or sending sea water 1000 miles under the ice sheet is not plausible. Studies of subglacial geothermal heat flow show that the area under the Thwaites glacier is unusually high and is the most likely cause of subglacial melting, rather than ocean water. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is not collapsing, the retreat of these small glaciers is not caused by global warming, and sea level is not going to rise 10 ft.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128045886000070

 

Your cite is almost 10 years old. 

Latest data shows Antarctica WARMING with the lowest minimum sea ice IN DECADES. Try again.

 

[Legato]

1 minute ago, robosmith said:

Your cite is almost 10 years old. 

Latest data shows Antarctica WARMING with the lowest minimum sea ice IN DECADES. Try again.

 

So it took 10years for the sky to fall and yet.............

[Aristides]

58 minutes ago, Legato said:

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, covering 5.4 million square miles (14 million square km). The average winter temperature in Antarctica is −81°F (−63°C) and has reached −128.6°F (−89.2°C). About 98% of the Antarctic continent is covered by glacial ice that averages about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in thickness. The total volume of ice in Antarctica is about 6.4 million cubic miles (26.5 million cubic km), comprising about 90% of the world's ice and about 70% of the world's fresh water. The average height of the ice sheet is approximately 10,000 ft above sea level. At its thickest point, the ice is 15,700 ft (4776 m) thick. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is by far the biggest ice sheet, making up 92% of the total glacial ice, while the West Antarctic Ice Sheet makes up only about 8%.

The Steig et al. analysis that all of Antarctica is warming was refuted by O'Donnell et al., who showed that their methodology was badly flawed. Using the same data as Steig et al., but with better technology, they produced a map showing cooling dominating most of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet with warming primarily constrained to the Antarctica Peninsula. Satellite and surface temperature measurements demonstrate that the Steig et al. contention that all of Antarctica is warming is clearly false. Antarctic satellite temperatures show no warming for 37 years. The Southern Ocean around Antarctica has cooled markedly since 2006. Sea ice has increased substantially, especially since 2012. Surface temperatures at 13 stations on or near the Antarctic Peninsula have been cooling sharply since 2006. Ocean temperatures have been plummeting since about 2007, sea ice has reached all-time highs, and temperatures have been cooling since 2000. The Larsen Ice Shelf Station has been cooling at an astonishing rate of 1.8°C per decade (18°C per century) since 1995.

The thickness of most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is more than 6000 ft (2000 m) and large areas are more than 10,000 ft (3000 m) thick. The importance of ice thickness is that virtually all of the ice sheet is considerably thicker than the depth below sea level to bedrock, so the ice is grounded and will not float. If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melts away, where the ice is 10,000 ft thick, the land beneath will rebound isostatically several 1000 ft, bringing most of the subglacial bed above sea level.

The Pine Island and Thwaites outlet glaciers are only about 30 miles across, so draining 2.2 million km3 of ice through their narrow channels or sending sea water 1000 miles under the ice sheet is not plausible. Studies of subglacial geothermal heat flow show that the area under the Thwaites glacier is unusually high and is the most likely cause of subglacial melting, rather than ocean water. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is not collapsing, the retreat of these small glaciers is not caused by global warming, and sea level is not going to rise 10 ft.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128045886000070

 

Why are you babbling on about average winter temperatures? Ice doesn’t melt in the winter. Average summer temperatures have been rising for decades but of course your source doesn’t mention that.

[robosmith]

36 minutes ago, Legato said:

So it took 10years for the sky to fall and yet.............

....you STILL write like a CHILD.

[Deluge]

3 hours ago, herbie said:

but but but it's natural so we should simply accept New York being underwater....

That's right. If New York goes underwater then it was their time - sort of like natural selection. New York was SELECTED to go underwater.  

5 hours ago, robosmith said:

Study Confirms 'Abrupt Changes' in Antarctica – And The World Will Feel Them

Expert EVIDENCE:

So, VERY CHEAP posters here are willing to gamble on "tipping points" not being real nor reached because they believe "it needs to be proven" or "it won't affect them." 

When MAJOR COASTAL CITIES are FLOODED, it WILL AFFECT EVERYONE.

Where has all that water gone? That's A LOT of f*cking water. Where is the land that has gone under water?

Edited August 23, 2025 by Deluge

[herbie]

Dimwit speaks once again. Probably interpreted Come to Momma as Fill Your Diaper as a toddler.

[Legato]

3 hours ago, robosmith said:

....you STILL write like a CHILD.

Still? Usually found in the woods, if you hear banjos keep running.

[Legato]

3 hours ago, Aristides said:

Why are you babbling on about average winter temperatures? Ice doesn’t melt in the winter. Average summer temperatures have been rising for decades but of course your source doesn’t mention that.

and that means what? Does not affect the result.

[Aristides]

13 minutes ago, Legato said:

and that means what? Does not affect the result.

So why doesn’t he talk about summer temperatures, that’s when the melt happens.

-50 or -80 it’s still frozen. F”ck all happens then. 

[Nationalist]

Lol...

"AHHH! WE ALL GONNA DIIIEEE!!!"

pathetic...

[Legato]

43 minutes ago, Aristides said:

So why doesn’t he talk about summer temperatures, that’s when the melt happens.

-50 or -80 it’s still frozen. F”ck all happens then. 

and they still don't wear khaki shorts in the summer. The results are the results you going off tangent.

[Aristides]

6 minutes ago, Legato said:

and they still don't wear khaki shorts in the summer. The results are the results you going off tangent.

Ice melts in summer not winter. This guy pick one irrelevant statistic, builds a hypothesis around it and you swallow it without question because it is what you want to hear. 
 

He picks one temperature to base his claim then says every other temperature recorded by the same people is faulty. WTF.

Edited August 24, 2025 by Aristides

[robosmith]

1 hour ago, Legato said:

and that means what? Does not affect the result.

More ice melting affects the sea levels. Duh

[robosmith]

16 minutes ago, Nationalist said:

Lol...

"AHHH! WE ALL GONNA DIIIEEE!!!"

pathetic...

You don't understand just how pathetic YOUR ^IGNROANCE IS, Dunning-Kruger.

We are HUGELY FORTUNATE you don't get to decide POLICY based on YOUR FANTASIES.

[robosmith]

18 minutes ago, Legato said:

and they still don't wear khaki shorts in the summer. The results are the results you going off tangent.

Do you STILL not understand what ALBEDO means wrt sea ice?