Caroline Needell

Stories

Antarctic ice cliffs collapse faster than predicted, then stabilize

Studying at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

A survey of 15,330 ice cliffs in Antarctica and Greenland found that tall cliffs break apart faster than ice-sheet models assume, then stop retreating. MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researchers published the results in Science on October 15, 2026.

Updated Oct 17

Notable Quotes

We found that when the cliffs were retreating, they were doing so faster than what has been modeled, which would mean more ice loss and higher contributions of sea level rise. But because we found that the retreat was short-lived, and all the glaciers eventually stabilized, that would suggest that things won't be so bad.

from Antarctic ice cliffs collapse faster than predicted, then stabilize · Updated Oct 17

Our findings suggest ice-sheet models may underestimate how quickly tall ice cliffs can break apart. At the same time, the observations show that glaciers often thin and retreat into regions where the conditions become less favorable for continued rapid retreat.

from Antarctic ice cliffs collapse faster than predicted, then stabilize · Updated Oct 17