Submerged polar ice the size of London has ‘gone’

A region of ice the size of Greater London vanished from the edge of Antarctica between 2010 and 2016, a British-led study has shown.

The 1,463 sq km of underwater ice at the base of the Antarctic ice sheet melted under the influence of warm ocean water currents.

Scientists at the University of Leeds demonstrated how the massive ice sheet is retreating as its edges, fed by a multitude of glaciers, are eroded.

Dr Hannes Konrad, the lead researcher, said: “Our study provides clear evidence that retreat is happening across the ice sheet due to ocean melting at its base.” The findings are in the journal Nature Geoscience.