Sea Ice Melts From Below

A new find could lead to more accurate predictions of climate change: warm sea currents melt Antarctic sea ice from below, accounting for 55 percent of the South Pole’s ice loss every year. That’s a much higher percentage than previously thought; scientists formerly thought that most of the loss came from “calving,” when warming temperatures causes glaciers or icebergs to split apart and sink into the sea. The discovery will help measure how ice loss contributes to sea level rise, as Antarctica contains 60 percent of the world’s fresh water supply.