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West Antarctica

Joee Patterson is shown with her arms outstretched while wearing sunglasses and a red safety vest.

For this marine tech, Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier drives home threat of climate change

Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier

Joee Patterson was one of four marine technicians on the Nathaniel B. Palmer research vessel during an expedition to Thwaites Glacier this past winter. The glacier is melting fast, and scientists fear that if it were to collapse entirely, it would trigger up to 11 feet of sea level rise.

Two yellow tents and a larger dome tent are staked into the snow. At the top of the image is a wing of a tiny prop plane.

These scientists used small explosions to ‘see’ under Antarctica and measure how fast a key glacier will melt

Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier
A ma in a bright orange suit holds his left arm in the air as an elephant seal opens its mouth to bellow.

These high-tech seals are charting future sea level rise

Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier
chef

On a journey to Antarctica, a New Orleans chef awakens to the threat of melting ice

Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier
The eastern ice tongue of Thwaites Glacier is shown rising out of deep blue ocean waters.

Is Thwaites Glacier doomed? Scientists race against time to find out.

Environment
Thwaites Glacier

Just how unstable is the massive Thwaites glacier? Scientists are about to find out.

Environment

A new five-year US and British research project hopes to give policy makers a better sense of how much west Antarctica will drive rising seas.

A new report confirms that Antarctica is melting–still slowly, but twice as fast as four years ago

Environment

Antarctica is melting twice as fast now as it was just four years ago. That’s the finding of new satellite observations from the European Space Agency.

Scientists say the retreat of west Antarctica’s ice sheet is unstoppable

Environment

Scientists say a massive ice sheet in Antarctica is starting to collapse. It’s not going to slide into the ocean over night, but rather over centuries. Still, it will fall, scientists say. It’s gotten to the point it can’t be stopped — and that means rising sea levels.Scientists say a massive ice sheet in Antarctica is starting to collapse. It’s not going to slide into the ocean over night, but rather over centuries. Still, it will fall, scientists say. It’s gotten to the point it can’t be stopped — and that means rising sea levels.