There is a big temperature contrast between the warm ocean water and the cold ice, and melting occurs at a very rapid rate. The melting reduces the friction that holds these glaciers back, allowing them to accelerate.

224

Snowfall will matter less and less. We know that warmer climates eventually lead to less ice.

178

The Antarctic Mosaic shows a lot of very subtle changes in the slope of the terrain that you cannot see from the ground. These subtle variations are important because they tell us the direction the ice is flowing now and they indicate where it has gone in the past. The surface roughness also tells us about the bed underneath the ice and whether the ice is sliding over the bed or frozen to it.

139

The story is still unfolding, but the dramatic changes at the margins are quite striking. I expect increased ice-sheet discharge to continue, with the result being further acceleration in sea-level rise.

130

The ocean is the vehicle by which this heat is getting to the edges of the ice sheets, so if you increase the rate at which you're putting heat into the ocean, then it would further accelerate the melting.

90