Dispelling Past Fears

In the past, much focus was given to the melted ice draining onto the Ross Sea in the southern part of the continent. The water comes from Antarctica’s western part and passes through the Ross Ice Shelf more than any other area.

Based on a past regional model of the Antarctic ice sheet, the melting observed in the area is influenced by the ocean’s warming. However, the BedMachine project’s findings dispelled these worries about the glacial retreat rate in the Ross Ice Shelf. Instead, Morlighem pointed towards a different region of the continent.