Antarctic glacier shrank 8 kilometers in just 2 months, study finds

An Antarctic glacier lost nearly half its length in just two months — the fastest retreat ever recorded — according to a study published Monday in Nature Geoscience.

Researchers found that the Hektoria Glacier, located on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, retreated about 8.2 kilometers (5 miles) between November and December 2022.

The glacier also lost nearly 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) in total between January 2022 and March 2023.

Scientists said the retreat was triggered not by ocean or atmospheric warming, as previously assumed, but by a rapid collapse caused by a process known as ice plain calving — when ice breaks away from a flat, weakly grounded section of glacier.

The findings suggest that glaciers resting on so-called ice plains may be far more unstable than previously understood.

Researchers warned that similar factors could make other Antarctic glaciers vulnerable to sudden collapse, with potentially major consequences for global sea levels.