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How scientists are grappling with the uncertain future of Antarctica’s melting ice

Nature Climate Change volume 13, pages 893–895 (2023)Cite this article

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Planning for climate change means accounting for melting ice and sea-level rise; exactly how much is shaped by many factors, each carrying its own uncertainties. Scientists are grappling with this uncertainty to better understand the fate of ice sheets and coastlines.

Scientific estimates of sea-level rise span a range from low end to worst case; the most recent IPCC report’s projections for sea-level rise estimate that by 2100, global mean sea-level rise could range anywhere from 0.28 to 1.01 m (ref. 2). But teasing apart uncertainty isn’t just a problem for journalists and policymakers — it’s a challenge that glaciologists and modellers alike are also trying to untangle.

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Fig. 1: Sources of uncertainty of ice-sheet projections.

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  1. Freelance science writer, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Alexandria Herr

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  1. Alexandria Herr
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Herr, A. How scientists are grappling with the uncertain future of Antarctica’s melting ice. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 893–895 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01764-8

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