Over the past 50 years, the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula has been one of the most rapidly warming parts of the planet. This warming is not only restricted to the land but can also be noted in the Southern Ocean.Upper ocean temperatures to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula have increased over 1°C since 1955.
The Antarctic Peninsula, the part of Antarctica furthest from the South Pole, has been warming rapidly, five times faster than the global average. Since 1950, the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed almost 3°C (5.4°F).That's more warming than anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere.Overall warmer temperatures along the peninsula are increasing ice melt and have caused several ice shelves to break apart.
Between 1992 and 2017, Antarctica lost more than three trillion tons of ice, most of which came from the West Antarctica Ice Sheet. Some of the most dramatic impacts of warming are collapsing ice shelves in West Antarctica, which are caused by warming. The animation at the left shows the historic breakup of the Larsen B Ice Shelf. Ice shelves are like bookends that support ice sheets and glaciers, helping them stay on land. When an ice shelf collapses into the ocean, the glaciers that it held in place begin to slide into the sea at an accelerated rate.
