Antarctic Ice Sheet Shows Signs of Growth
The Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of nature’s great wonders. It covers nearly the size of Antarctica itself. This vast icy mass is remarkable in its own right.
It’s also vitally important because of the role it plays in global sea levels. As the ice sheet loses mass, sea levels rise — a phenomenon humanity is interested in preventing. However, findings show promising signs for growth, SciTechDaily reports.
Antarctic Ice Sheet Shows Mass Gain
While the Antarctic Ice Sheet has historically lost mass, playing a significant role in rising sea levels, in recent years it’s experienced a record-breaking mass gain. Since 2002, the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) mission and its successor, GRACE-FO (Grace-Follow On) have been monitoring the changes to the Ice Sheet over time.
In March of 2025, a group of scientists from Tongji University in China published a study in Science China: Earth Sciences tracking the changes in the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 2002 to 2023.
According to a blog on SciChi, researchers identified three phases of mass change in Antarctic ice. From 2002 to 2010 the Ice Sheet experienced a moderate loss contributing about 0.20 millimeters per year to global sea level rise, with an uncertainty of 0.16 millimeters. Then, from 2011 to 2020, ice loss accelerated and nearly doubled, contributing around 0.39 millimeters per year to global sea levels.
However, from 2021 to 2023, researchers found an unexpected twist: a mass gain which offset global sea rise levels by roughly 0.30 millimeters per year. This gain appears to be an anomaly, driven by an increase in precipitation across the continent.
The Importance of Proactive Steps
While this shift is a positive change, the study emphasizes there is still cause for concern. According to data, four glacier basins in East Antarctica are showing worrying signs of instability. Preserving the Antarctic Ice Sheet is crucial. The Antarctic Ice Sheet holds over 50 percent of the global freshwater supply, playing a significant role in global sea level rise, the New York Post reports.
Though the recent data is a welcome surprise that shows things can change for the better — and a loss can turn into a gain, scientists caution that the latest event may not be part of a long-term trend. However, through monitoring the world’s ice and acting now to offset the effects of climate change, we can hold onto hope for a better future for the planet.
