West Antarctica is especially exposed because ice loss reduces pressure on buried magma reservoirs, allowing gas bubbles to form and pushing magma upward toward eruption.
More eruptions could in turn accelerate ice melt, creating a feedback loop in which volcanic activity and ice-sheet destabilization reinforce each other.
Researchers said the process would likely unfold over hundreds of years, but warned it could continue even if emissions cuts slow future warming.
Could an unstoppable volcanic feedback loop under Antarctica become the next irreversible climate tipping point?
How can we monitor volcanoes buried under miles of ice to predict eruptions that could accelerate global sea-level rise?
Antarctica’s Melting Ice and the Glacio-Volcanic Feedback: How Subglacial Volcanoes Could Accelerate Global Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change
Overview
Antarctica's ice sheet is losing mass at an accelerating rate, which is a major concern for both global sea-level rise and climate stability. Recent data highlight that while some parts of the Antarctic coastline have remained stable over the past three decades, other regions are experiencing significant changes. This shows that the continent's ice responds in complex and varied ways to a warming climate. The Antarctic Ice Sheet does not react uniformly to temperature increases, with different regions showing different patterns of change. These ongoing shifts underscore the urgent need to understand and address the impacts of climate change on Antarctica.