Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
scitechdaily.com/ancient-antarctic-ice-melt-triggered-a-chain-reaction-9000-years-ago
A study published in Nature Geoscience has revealed that the substantial retreat of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) approximately 9,000 years ago was driven by a self-reinforcing feedback loop between ice melt and ocean circulation. The research team, led by Professor Yusuke Suganuma from the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) and the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), found that the inflow of warm deep water into coastal East Antarctica caused the collapse of ice shelves, which in turn accelerated inland ice loss. The discovery indicates that Antarctic ice retreat is not merely a regional phenomenon; rather, it has the potential to propagate across multiple sectors through oceanic connections, thereby amplifying the overall magnitude of ice loss. This phenomenon, in which meltwater from one region accelerates melting processes in other regions, is referred to as a "cascading positive feedback." This feedback loop may be a crucial factor in comprehending the instability of Antarctic ice sheets, both in the past and in the present.
Credit: The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
scitechdaily.com/ancient-antarctic-ice-melt-triggered-a-chain-reaction-9000-years-ago
A study published in Nature Geoscience has revealed that the substantial retreat of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) approximately 9,000 years ago was driven by a self-reinforcing feedback loop between ice melt and ocean circulation. The research team, led by Professor Yusuke Suganuma from the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) and the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), found that the inflow of warm deep water into coastal East Antarctica caused the collapse of ice shelves, which in turn accelerated inland ice loss. The discovery indicates that Antarctic ice retreat is not merely a regional phenomenon; rather, it has the potential to propagate across multiple sectors through oceanic connections, thereby amplifying the overall magnitude of ice loss. This phenomenon, in which meltwater from one region accelerates melting processes in other regions, is referred to as a "cascading positive feedback." This feedback loop may be a crucial factor in comprehending the instability of Antarctic ice sheets, both in the past and in the present.
Credit: The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
