STORY: :: Scientists warn Antarctica’s ice is retreating faster than expected
:: London
:: September 29, 2025
:: NASA
:: Michael Meredith, British Antarctic Survey oceanographer
“What we’re seeing is things like extreme heat waves, levels of temperature change in Antarctica we’ve never seen before and didn’t expect to see. We’re seeing the ice retreating at a rate we’d never have guessed 20 years ago and all of a sudden we’re seeing this happening in front of our eyes. We need to figure out why. We need to figure out what it means for the rest of the planet. // We know that Antarctica is changing and the rate at which it’s changing is increasing. So we’re seeing shifts in the ocean. We’re seeing shifts in the ice sheet, we’re seeing shifts in the ecosystem there. But there’s a great deal that we don’t know. We’re still trying to get our head around why it’s changing the way it is, how it’s going to change in the future, what the impacts will be on global climate and global biodiversity. We know it’s going to be profound. We’re already seeing signs of these.”
Climate scientists gathered at the Royal Society in London to hear how collapsing ice shelves, record‑low sea ice and powerful storms are unfolding faster than expected and could trigger knock on effects around the world.
