The Hektoria Glacier on the Antarctic Peninsula lost roughly half its mass in two months, researchers report in Nature Geoscience. The team found the glacier sits on an ice plain that thinned and triggered rapid calving — the fastest modern retreat recorded. Scientists link the acceleration to warming seas from fossil-fuel emissions and warn the event highlights the need for more research and faster transitions to renewable energy. Experts agree the polar regions are changing faster than expected.
Antarctic Alert: Glacier the Size of Philadelphia Lost Half Its Ice in Two Months
The Hektoria Glacier on the Antarctic Peninsula lost roughly half its mass in two months, researchers report in Nature Geoscience. The team found the glacier sits on an ice plain that thinned and triggered rapid calving — the fastest modern retreat recorded. Scientists link the acceleration to warming seas from fossil-fuel emissions and warn the event highlights the need for more research and faster transitions to renewable energy. Experts agree the polar regions are changing faster than expected.
06:02 PM, 11/17/2025Environment
Scientists stunned by rapid Hektoria Glacier retreat
A glacier in Antarctica roughly the size of Philadelphia lost about half its mass in just two months, a startling discovery reported in a new study published in Nature Geoscience. Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder made the observation while monitoring fast ice for a separate project, and the dramatic event prompted an urgent follow-up investigation.
How the loss was discovered
Fast ice — also called landfast ice — forms a relatively stationary rim along parts of the Antarctic coast. While examining that ice, co-author Naomi Ochwat noticed an unusually large retreat of Hektoria Glacier on the Antarctic Peninsula. "OK, something special is going on here," she said, which led the team to study the glacier more closely.
"The rate of Hektoria Glacier's decline is astonishing — the fastest known in modern history," said co-author Ted Scambos.
Why it happened
The scientists concluded that Hektoria rests on an ice plain. As the plain thins, large sections of the glacier detach and float away as icebergs — a process called calving. While calving is a natural glacier process, researchers say human-driven warming is accelerating it.
Warming oceans, heated by greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are penetrating polar regions more intensely. The Arctic is warming at roughly four times the global average, and Antarctic temperatures are increasing at about twice the planetary rate. Experts warn the West Antarctic ice sheet is especially vulnerable to these changes.
Consequences and calls to action
Continued ice loss contributes to rising sea levels, threatening coastal communities, small island nations and freshwater supplies worldwide. NASA estimates that complete melting of all glaciers and ice sheets would raise global sea levels by about 195 feet — a theoretical upper bound that underscores the potential long-term risk if warming continues unchecked.
The authors urge more research into Antarctic ice plains to better understand their stability and response to warming. They also call for greater public awareness and accelerated shifts toward renewable energy at both individual and policy levels to reduce further warming.
Some scientists have questioned specific mechanisms the team proposes for Hektoria's retreat, but few dispute the broader conclusion: polar regions are changing rapidly. Anna Hogg, professor of Earth observation at the University of Leeds, told the BBC that while researchers may disagree about details at Hektoria, they are united in alarm over how quickly polar change is occurring.
What to watch next: Improved monitoring of Antarctic ice plains, faster climate mitigation efforts, and follow-up studies to confirm mechanisms driving such rapid glacier loss.