They could have missed it — a black-and-white aerial image taken back in 1966. The photographer is imagined to have been a member of the U.S. Navy who was likely mapping the Antarctic landscape. But, years later, a few researchers noticed something unusual.
That frozen frame seemed to show the Wordie Ice Shelf giving way.
The old photo turned out to be a major clue, one that could reshape our understanding of Antarctica’s melting crisis and show why ignoring it could cost us.
What’s happening?
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, the institution shared in a release, compared those vintage photos to newer satellite images. What they found was quiet but alarming: The Wordie Ice Shelf hadn’t just melted from the surface — it had been worn down from beneath. Warmer ocean waters, they deduced, had slipped under the ice, slicing into it from the inside out.
With the team’s findings published in Nature Communications in April, corresponding author Mads Dømgaard explained in the university’s release, “We have identified several signs of incipient ice shelf collapse that we expect will be observed in other ice shelves, but perhaps more importantly, the dataset has given us a multitude of pinning points that can reveal how far advanced a collapse is. It’s a completely new tool.”
Dømgaard says the resource could be used to assess shelves that could collapse or are already collapsing.
Co-author Anders Anker Bjørk added that they’ve found the process of “ice shelf collapse may be slower than we thought.” But Bjørk also strongly cautioned, ” … this longer process will make it harder to reverse the trend once it has started. This is an unambiguous signal to prioritise halting greenhouse gas emissions now rather than sometime in the future.”
Why does it matter?
Wordie wasn’t huge to start — losing it has bumped sea levels by only millimeters — but it has given scientists a look into the future.
If bigger ice shelves, such as Ross or Ronne, crumble, the chain reaction could be a lot worse. These shelves currently provide a stabilizing force, and once they break down, it could be difficult to prevent further damage.
That’s why tools that might help researchers spot the signs of collapse earlier on could really matter. They might buy us more time — and offer stronger motivation to make a change.
What can be done?
Research like this in-depth look at the Wordie Ice Shelf can encourage more effective mitigation and adaptation efforts. As Bjørk noted, the team’s findings underscore the urgency with which governments and coalitions need to reduce the amount of heat-trapping, ice-melting pollution in our atmosphere. They could also help state officials and community advocates better prepare to withstand the effects of rising sea levels by taking actions like updating flood guidance, reworking zoning ordinances, and relocating and strengthening critical infrastructure.
But maybe these activities don’t fall under your personal purview? Individual choices can still stack up — especially when organized en masse. Residents can organize support for policies that lower emissions, ask local officials how they’re preparing for sea level rise, and use clean energy options whenever available.
That photo sat, seemingly untouched, for decades. But it captured something big. And committed people took it to the next step. What happens next — that’s still up to us.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
