A groundbreaking study reveals that Antarctica’s once-stable sea ice is now on a fast track to collapse—driven by an unseen ocean salinity shift and a dangerous feedback loop.

A Question of Water Salinity

Researchers at the University of Southampton found that, as Antarctic ice melts, the Southern Ocean’s surface is growing saltier. Saltier water lets deep-ocean heat rise and melt ice from below. “Less ice means more heat, which means even less ice,” says Alessandro Silvano. This flip in stratification overturns decades of assumptions that Antarctic ice would hold steady.

The Southern Ocean is undergoing profound changes that threaten to accelerate the melting of ice in Antarctica. © Alberto Naveira Garabato, University of Southampton

Upheavals Predicted in Antarctica and Beyond?

Satellite and robotic probe data show this salinity surge coincides with the reappearance of the massive Maud Rise polynya—an open-water hole unseen since the 1970s. Coauthor Alberto Naveira Garabato warns that these shocks could make current climate models obsolete. He urges continuous monitoring to grasp how the ice–ocean system will evolve.

Where Does This Giant Hole, Twice the Size of Switzerland, Come From?

The Maud Rise polynya’s return underscores the extraordinary nature of today’s Antarctic conditions. If this trend of warmer, saltier waters continues, it could permanently reshape the Southern Ocean—and with it, global climate patterns. Scientists now race to understand this hidden mechanism under our feet before it pushes Antarctic ice past a tipping point.

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Nathalie Mayer

Journalist

Born in Lorraine on a freezing winter night, storytelling has always inspired me, first through my grandmother’s tales and later Stephen King’s imagination. A physicist turned science communicator, I’ve collaborated with institutions like CEA, Total, Engie, and Futura. Today, I focus on unraveling Earth’s complex environmental and energy challenges, blending science with storytelling to illuminate solutions.

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