Can glaciers heal from ice loss? New research says yes

What causes a glacier to heal instead of melt? Dan Riskin reports on a region in Antarctica where ice is forming despite the fact that surrounding areas are melting.

Rising sea levels caused by melting glaciers are a growing concern as global temperatures rise by the decade. Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, which is nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier” because of its threat to global sea levels, is currently hanging on “by its fingernails,” scientists say.

But according to new research, ice supply in a separate part of the South Pole has remained stable for more than 100 years, even as surrounding areas melted.

The Kamb Ice Stream, which is part of the West Antarctic ice sheet, has been holding strong since the 1860s. After launching a study to learn more about why, scientists from the United States and New Zealand found signs that the glacier was able to heal itself from ice loss.

For more on this phenomenon and whether it’s common among glaciers, check out this month’s Riskin Report with CTV News Science and Technology Specialist Dan Riskin.