A new breaking point has been discovered under the Antarctic ice sheet

Scientists have characterized for the first time a new and disturbing way in which large ice sheets can melt. The research focuses on how relatively warm seawater can flow on the underside of land ice, which can accelerate the ice's movement into the ocean.

This process is not currently included in models that predict sea level rise, so the new results could offer a more accurate picture of how the world will change with global warming and how much coastal areas will have to adapt.

The findings, carried out by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), are published in the journal Nature Geoscience . (More on phys.org)