A significant event has unfolded in the Antarctic region as nearly half of the Hektoria glacier has collapsed in an astonishingly short period of just two months. This unprecedented event, which resulted in a loss of 8.2 kilometers of ice, was detailed in a recent study published in Nature Geoscience. The collapse occurred at a rate that is ten times faster than any previously recorded for terrestrial glaciers.
The discovery was made by a research team from the University of Colorado while they were analyzing satellite data and conducting remote sensing studies in the area. Initially, their objective was to investigate why sea ice had separated from the glacier a decade after the collapse of an ice shelf in 2002.
Upon reviewing data from February 2002 to August 2023, researchers found that the surface area of the Hektoria glacier, which spans approximately 115 square kilometers, had been halved in just a couple of months. Researcher Naomi Ochwat from the University of Colorado”s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research expressed that even after seeing satellite images, the team was taken aback by the scale of the collapse when they flew over the site.
Scientists have linked the rapid collapse of the glacier to its unique topography. The Hektoria glacier is classified as a tidewater glacier, resting on a flat plain below sea level. Earthquakes that occurred beneath this plain caused parts of the glacier to suddenly float, exposing it to oceanic forces. This exposure led to the formation of cracks that connected the glacier”s surface to its base, ultimately causing half of the glacier to break away.
The implications of this study are significant, as similar phenomena in other glaciers could dramatically accelerate sea level rise. Ochwat noted, “The retreat of Hektoria is alarming: such ultra-rapid retreat would alter predictions for other larger glaciers in Antarctica. If collapses of this magnitude were to occur, it could greatly hasten sea level rise.”
