Overview

• Satellite data reveal Antarctica's ice sheet gained 108 billion tons annually from 2021 to 2023, reversing two decades of steady losses.
• This anomaly is primarily attributed to increased snowfall, particularly in four East Antarctic glacier basins: Totten, Moscow, Denman, and Vincennes Bay.
• From 2002 to 2020, the ice sheet experienced significant annual losses, accelerating from 74 billion tons to 142 billion tons per year during that period.
• The recent mass gain temporarily offset global sea-level rise by approximately 0.30 mm per year, contrasting with previous contributions to rising sea levels.
• Researchers caution that the gains may be temporary, as the glaciers showing recovery are among Antarctica's most unstable and vulnerable to climatic shifts.