Ice Theft in Antarctica

Glaciers around the globe are retreating. And they might be picking the pockets of their neighbors as they go. Using satellite data, researchers have observed a phenomenon called “ice piracy” occurring at an unprecedented pace among glaciers at the fringes of Antarctica: One glacier stealing ice from a neighbor as it flows toward the sea. Usually, when glaciers come into contact they merge and continue flowing together. They have also been recorded stealing ice from one another, but this is the first time such theft was observed over such a short period. It was previously thought to happen at timescales that were only observable over centuries or millennia. But the new satellite data suggests that at least one big glacier known as Kohler East has been pilfering ice from its slower-moving neighbor Kohler West at a noticeable rate over the course of fewer than 18 years, according to findings recently published in The Cryosphere. ANT-ARRRRGH-CTICA: Kohler East is stealing ice from Kohl ... Read full article.