Influences on Antarctic Ice

The floating ice shelves around Antartica are vulnerable to warming of the atmosphere as well as the ocean. Because they already float on the ocean, sea level is not directly affected if they are lost. Nevertheless, sea level can rise when they no longer hold back land-based ice on its journey to the ocean, and the ocean circulation is altered when large amounts of hitherto frozen freshwater melt. In this Collection we present articles that explore the mechanisms that determine where and when the Antarctic ice may disintegrate.