Antarctica is losing ice at an alarming rate
Antarctica has shed almost 5,000 square miles of grounded ice since 1992—about the size of Los Angeles vanishing every three years.
Most coastlines are holding steady, but some spots are losing ice fast.
What's causing the rapid retreat?
The biggest losses are happening in West Antarctica's Amundsen Sea and Getz regions.
Glaciers like Smith and Thwaites have retreated by over a dozen miles each, mainly because winds push warmer ocean water under the ice shelves, making them thinner and less stable.
Tracking glacier changes
In the northeast Antarctic Peninsula, glaciers are retreating too—even though there's no clear sign of ocean warming there.
Scientists used radar from satellites around the world to track these changes.
Their new 30-year record helps us understand what's happening now—and what it could mean for future sea levels as our climate keeps changing.