Antarctic ice has made a surprising rebound in mass, scientists say
The Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) has shown signs of record-breaking growth after decades of contributing to global sea-level rise — but experts warn this doesn't mean the climate-change crisis is over.
A study published in Science China Earth Sciences revealed that between 2021 and 2023, the AIS gained mass at a rate of 108 gigatons per year — a remarkable reversal from the rapid loss seen in previous years.
This graph shows the shift in ice mass between 2021 and 2023.
Science China Press
The researchers analyzed data from the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and GRACE-FO (GRACE Follow-On) missions, which measure changes in Earth's gravity field to track ice mass fluctuations. They found that the AIS had been losing ice at a rate of 142 gigatons per year from 2011 to 2020.
That accelerated mass loss was mainly driven by the destabilization of glaciers in West Antarctica and the Wilkes Land–Queen Mary Land (WL-QML) region of East Antarctica.
However, the recent period from 2021 to 2023 saw a dramatic shift, with ice mass in East Antarctica particularly showing signs of recovery.
Notably, four major glacier basins in the WL-QML region — Totten, Moscow University, Denman and Vincennes Bay — had been losing the most mass, with ice discharge and surface melting responsible for much of the loss.
But between 2021 and 2023, those glaciers experienced significant mass gain, reversing the accelerated loss they had undergone.
Icebergs are shown at the Larsen B Ice Shelf, located in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica.
VWPics via AP Images
The researchers attribute this rebound to unusual increases in precipitation, which led to an accumulation of snow and ice.
This unexpected mass gain temporarily offset global sea level rise by about 0.3 millimeters per year — a small but notable increase.
While this development is a glimmer of hope, scientists caution that it may not signal a long-term trend.
The Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds more than half of the world's freshwater, plays a crucial role in global sea-level rise. Its rapid melting has been one of the largest contributors to rising oceans, alongside Greenland's ice loss and thermal expansion of warming seas.
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