Science

How a massive ice shelf buttressed the last ice age's glaciers—and what it could mean for Antarctica today

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Briefings

A massive ice shelf approximately 20,000 years ago locked in three major northern ice sheets, preventing their full collapse and contributing to modern sea levels. Its subsequent disappearance allowed ice to flow out, raising sea levels by hundreds of feet and defining current coastlines. The evidence indicates this event occurred around 20,000 years ago, with the ice shelf being more than 1.6 kilometers thick.

Key points

• An ice shelf approximately 20,000 years thick locked in three major northern ice sheets, preventing their complete collapse and contributing to modern sea levels.
• The ice shelf's disappearance allowed ice to flow out, raising sea levels by hundreds of feet and establishing modern coastlines.

Context

This event represents a critical moment in the last ice age where a floating ice shelf acted as a barrier, influencing the global climate and sea level rise patterns that shaped the present world.

Limitations

Evidence is limited to a single event from 20,000 years ago; specific mechanisms for ice flow remain unexplained, and the exact impact on modern coastlines is inferred rather than measured.

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