The scientists found that 71 of the 162 ice shelves surrounding Antarctica shrank in volume over the 25 years from 1997 to 2021, with a net loss of 7.5 trillion metric tons of meltwater into the oceans. The work is published in the journal Science Advances . They found that almost all ice shelves on the west side of Antarctica recorded ice loss In contrast, most of the ice shelves on the eastern side have stayed the same or have grown larger. Scientists calculated that over 25 years, nearly 67 trillion metric tons of ice were exported to the ocean, which was offset by 59 trillion metric tons of ice added to ice shelves, resulting in a net loss of 7.5 trillion metric tons. Dr Benjamin Davison, a researcher at the University of Leeds who led the study, said: “There is a mixed picture of ice shelf deterioration, and this is linked to ocean temperature and ocean currents around Antarctica. "The western half is exposed to warm water that can rapidly erode ice shelves from below, while much of East Antarctica is currently protected from with warm water in the vicinity of a strip of cold water on the coast.” (University of Leeds)