The East Antarctic ice shelves may be more vulnerable to climate change than previously assumed. A research team, consisting of scientists from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, has detected large amounts of meltwater on the Roi Baudouin shelf ice. The meltwater is linked to strong winds that blow away snow from the ice shelf’s surface. The discovery is the result of a study which has now been published in the online edition of the journal Nature Climate Change by the researchers.

More information on the study can be found at https://www.awi.de/nc/en/about-us/service/press/press-release/grosse-mengen-an-schmelzwasser-auf-ostantarktischem-eisschelf.html.

The full Nature Climate Change article can be found at http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate3180.html.