Study: Antarctic Ice Sheet Has Grown in Mass, Reversing Decades-Long Trend
The Spin
Climate activist narrative
Antarctica is one of the most unique places on Earth and will be a lynchpin in the fight against climate change. This heartening news is further proof that Antarctica needs to be protected from resource extraction and military use by great powers. As decades-old treaties on Antarctica expire, it is imperative that the world grant strong legal protections to the continent to protect its vast and precarious stores of ice.
Climate-concerned narrative
It should be noted that, as the researchers note, Antarctic melting is still a net contributor to the global rise in sea levels, with the offsets provided by this anomalous gain coming nowhere close to the damage caused by climate change. In fact, the flow of subglacial meltwater carrying ice out to the ocean could make all sea level predictions vast underestimates. Antarctica's climate stress must be further researched with urgency.
Climate-skeptic narrative
Climate alarmism around Antarctica has often served the purpose of public relations rather than rigorous scientific study. This surge in sea ice totals tells a more nuanced story of the region's complex dynamics. Antarctica is not really the "canary in the coal mine" climate alarmists would portray — it would be better to describe it as a robust paradise of penguins.