Climate change

Study: Antarctic Glacier Retreats 15 Miles in Record Speed

Published NOV 4 2025

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Above: The Hektoria Glacier. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

According to a new CU Boulder-led study, published in Nature Geoscience on Monday, the Hektoria Glacier on the Antarctic Peninsula retreated approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) between January 2022 and March 2023 — the fastest retreat of an Antarctic glacier in modern history.
Daily Sabah
New Scientist
Nature Geoscience on X
During November and December 2022, the glacier lost 8.2 kilometers in just two months, retreating at rates up to 800 meters per day — nearly 10 times faster than previously published values for grounded glaciers. However, some researchers have questioned the exact location of the glacier’s “grounding line” — the point where it lifts off the seabed and begins to float on the ocean.
Scimex
CNN
BBC News
The rapid retreat began after a decade-old fast ice in the Larsen B embayment broke away in early 2022, which had previously stabilized the glacier and allowed it to form thick floating ice tongues that protected it from ocean forces.
Cires
Nature
Scientists attribute the retreat rate to the glacier retreating onto an ice plain, where flat bedrock allowed the thinned ice to become buoyant and float, exposing it to ocean forces that promoted rapid iceberg calving.
IFLScience
Mercopress
The calving process generated glacial earthquakes detected by seismic sensors as buoyant forces ripped icebergs from the grounded glacier, and researchers observed waveforms consistent with icebergs breaking off.
New Scientist
ABC News
While Hektoria is relatively small at 115 square miles, researchers warn that similar ice plain configurations exist beneath larger Antarctic glaciers, potentially enabling comparable rapid retreats that could significantly accelerate sea level rise.
Nature Asia-Pacific
CNN

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Hektoria Glacier's unprecedented retreat proves Antarctica faces catastrophic collapse that could devastate global sea levels. This lightning-fast disintegration shows that larger glaciers like Thwaites could trigger the same process, rapidly accelerating sea-level rise beyond current predictions. The shocking speed demonstrates climate change is pushing Antarctica past dangerous tipping points.

Scimex

PHYS

Climate-skeptic narrative

If Hektoria's ice was already afloat rather than grounded, the dramatic "record retreat" might simply be normal iceberg calving in Antarctica's volatile environment. The study lacks precise satellite data, and scientists can't even agree on where the glacier truly detached from the seabed. This uncertainty transforms a climate alarmism into a reminder of Antarctica's complex, often misunderstood dynamics.

BBC News

Chris Martz on X

Metaculus Prediction

Editor's Note

This story currently has limited reporting from right-leaning sources. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our coverage as additional perspectives become available.