Antarctica's France-Sized Ice Shelf Makes Daily Jumps, Raising Icequake Concerns

Potential acceleration and eventual disintegration of the Ross Ice Shelf, leading to its movement into the sea, would have far-reaching consequences.

Researchers have uncovered a surprising phenomenon in Antarctica: the massive Ross Ice Shelf, roughly the size of France, lurches forward several centimetres once or twice a day. This movement is triggered by the Whillans Ice Stream, a fast-flowing river of ice that occasionally gets stuck and then surges ahead.

The discovery highlights a previously unknown aspect of ice shelf dynamics and raises questions about the long-term stability of the Ross Ice Shelf in the face of climate change.

The research has been published in Geophysical Research Letters.