"Antarctica's Ice Sheets Are Melting Faster — And From Beneath"

"Antarctica's ice has been melting, most likely because of a warming climate. Now, newly published research shows the rate of melting appears to be accelerating.

Antarctica is bigger than the U.S. and Mexico combined, and it's covered in deep ice — more than a mile deep in some places. Most of the ice sits on bedrock, but it slowly flows off the continent's edges. Along the western edge, giant glaciers creep down toward the sea. Where they meet the ocean, they form ice shelves.

The shelves are the specialty of Ala Khazendar, a geophysicist and polar expert at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif."

Christopher Joyce reports for NPR's All Things Considered October 25, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"This Antarctic Glacier Is The Biggest Threat For Rising Sea Levels. The Race Is On To Understand It" (Washington Post)

"These Antarctic Glaciers Have Experienced Staggering Ice Loss — And Scientists Think The Ocean Is To Blame" (Washington Post)

"UCI and NASA Document Accelerated Glacier Melting In West Antarctica" (Univ. California - Irvine/EurekAlert)