A new study has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (AGU, 2025), which provides a comprehensive detailing of how the progressive disintegration has been taking place over the last two decades. The study has been published from the Centre for Earth Observation Sciences and led by Debangshu Banerjee, a recent graduate student from the Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS), together with Dr. Karen Alley (Assistant Professor, CEOS) and Dr. David Lilien (Assistant Professor, Indiana University Bloomington and former Research Associate at CEOS). The research is part of the TARSAN (Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network) project, one of the components of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) – a major U.S.–U.K. research initiative studying the processes driving change in the Thwaites Glacier of West Antarctica. Renowned glaciologists Dr. Ted Scambos, Dr. Martin Truffer, Dr. Adrian Luckman, and Dr. Erin Pettitt have also been a part of this research.

A series of diagrams showing the shear strain rates and flow divergence of the An image showing ice flow speed at the Thwaites Glacier from 2014 to 2021.

A series of diagrams showing a trend in ice-flow speed and the strain rates from 2006 to 2022.

Drawing on two decades (2002–2022) of satellite imagery, ice-flow velocity measurements, and in-situ GPS records, the team traced the evolution of fractures within the TEIS shear zone and their connection to changes in ice dynamics. The analysis revealed that the gradual development of these fractures led to the shelf’s progressive detachment from its pinning point, causing accelerated flow upstream and a loss of mechanical stability. The study identifies four distinct stages in this weakening process and offers two key insights. First, the fractures developed in two phases: an initial propagation of long, flow-parallel fractures, followed by shorter fractures oriented perpendicular to the direction of ice flow. Second, the researchers found evidence for a positive feedback mechanism between fracture-induced damage and ice acceleration—an amplifying cycle that hastened the shelf’s disintegration in recent years.

Two graphs that show the mid-shelf area of TEIS and the upstream pinning point from 2002 to 2022.

The research highlights how the pinning point, once a major stabilizing force for the TEIS, has gradually transitioned into a destabilizing agent through four distinct stages. This pattern of ice-shelf disintegration may serve as a warning for other Antarctic ice shelves that are currently showing similar signs of weakening. The continued loss of these floating ice shelves could have significant implications for the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s future contribution to global sea-level rise.

You can read more from the publication using the following DOI: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025JF008352

His work shows how glacier sea ice melting in Antarctica is now detected in the Atlantic ocean.

Dr. Ghomsi says by 2050, more than two million people may have to move away from the coast of Africa.

Dr. Ghomsi did several interviews, one with CJOB (Corus Radio, sadly no link available) and several with Radio-Canada.

D’ici 2050, plus de 2 millions de résidents avoisinant le golfe de Guinée seront déplacés en raison d’augmentations des niveaux de la mer, selon des études. Écoutez l’entrevue du Dr Franck Eitel Ghomsi, chercheur et postdoctorant au Centre d’observation des sciences de la Terre de l’Université du Manitoba.

Pour écouter toute la conversation, lancer l’écouter Radio-Canada.

Published in Science, the UM-led study predicts a near-unrecognizable Arctic landscape by 2100 if global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) remain unchanged.

Led by Julienne Stroeve, Canada 150 Research Chair in Climate Forcing of Sea Ice, and Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Sea Ice, Freshwater-Marine Coupling and Climate Change, the research highlights that the Arctic is heating at four times the global average rate, posing significant environmental and socio-economic challenges.

Dr Julienne Stroeve

Accelerating Changes and Their Consequences

“The Arctic is warming at four times the rate of the rest of the planet,” said Stroeve. “At 2.7 degrees Celsius of global warming, this scenario would dramatically reshape the Arctic, the fastest-warming region on earth.”

Key projections of the study include:

• Almost every day will be hotter than the extreme temperatures of the past.
• The Arctic Ocean will be ice-free for several months each summer.
• The part of Greenland’s ice sheet that stays above freezing for over a month will be four times larger than before, accelerating rising sea levels.

While these transformations pose severe risks, the researchers emphasize that immediate and coordinated global action can help mitigate the impacts and preserve the Arctic’s crucial role in the Earth’s climate system.

Solutions for a Sustainable Future

This study underscores the opportunities for proactive intervention to avoid these dire environmental consequences. Governments, industries, and individuals all have roles to play in reducing GHGs, expanding conservation areas, and integrating Indigenous knowledge into climate strategies.

“If we act now with bold climate policies and innovative technologies, we can still make a difference,” says Stroeve. “The Arctic is a key part of the global climate system, and its future truly lies in our hands.”

Continued scientific research is crucial in shaping effective policies. Monitoring Arctic changes will improve climate models and adaptation strategies.  

“We must combine scientific advancements with community-driven solutions,” Stroeve says. “By working together, we can develop strategies that not only protect Arctic ecosystems but also support the people who depend on them.”

Global Climate Action and Collaborative Research Needed

The research, supported by funding from the Canada 150 Research Chairs Program and other institutions, utilized data from NSIDC’s Sea Ice Today and Ice Sheets Today projects to provide a comprehensive overview of Arctic changes. Collaborators included the University of Ottawa, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Hamburg.

While these transformations pose severe consequences, the researchers emphasize that immediate and coordinated global efforts can help mitigate the impacts and preserve the Arctic’s crucial role in the Earth’s climate system for future generations.

On Tuesday, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Churchill — a town of just under 900 people on Hudson Bay in the province’s far north — could help ensure Arctic sovereignty and national security because it’s accessible via train and has a deep-sea port.

Investing in the port is not only good for diversifying Manitoba’s trade relationships, but also a “really important card that we have to play in strengthening” ties with the U.S. amid likely trade tensions, he said.

To read the entire article which includes comments from Dr. Feiyue Wang, professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in the department of environment and geography and Centre for Earth Observation Science plus, Dr. Barry Prentice, professor of supply chain management, at the I.H. Asper School of Business.

Follow the link here to CBC Manitoba.

Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, a researcher from the University of Manitoba, was part of a team that successfully drilled into an ice core 2,800 metres in length, and uncovered the oldest ice core ever retrieved – more than 1.2 million years old.

She said the core will give an insight into past climate patterns.

To read the full story and watch the interview, please follow the link to CTV Winnipeg. 

From a remote site in Antarctica, an international research team including Dr. Dorthe Dahl-Jensen from UM, has achieved a historic milestone. The scientists successfully drilled a 2,800-meter-long ice core, reaching bedrock beneath the Antarctic ice sheet and uncovering the oldest ice core ever retrieved.

The Beyond EPICA team of scientists

“This achievement is monumental for climate and environmental science,” said Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Sea Ice, Freshwater-Marine Coupling and Climate Change at the University of Manitoba. “This ice core provides the longest continuous climate record known, and we hope it will help us understand the connections between Earth’s carbon cycle and temperature changes throughout history.”

This breakthrough offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore Earth’s climate and atmospheric history, including the relationship between temperature and greenhouse gases during the most distant periods of the ice age.

“Congratulations to the Beyond EPICA team for this extraordinary discovery,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice President (Research and International). “UM scientists continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and with bold research that will provide solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.”

The ice core is poised to reveal invaluable insights into the planet’s past climate patterns, which are believed to be linked to greenhouse gases preserved in the air bubbles trapped within the ice. It is hoped that this information will give the team clues about how the Earth will respond to rising temperatures.

“The success of this drilling campaign far exceeded our expectations,” said Dahl-Jensen. “We are eager to begin extracting the detailed climate information stored in these ice cores, collaborating with the broader team of scientists to unlock this crucial data.”

The research project was made possible by the collaboration of scientific and logistical teams from across Europe. The project is funded by the European Commission, with support from national partners across Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

To learn more about Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice project, visit the project website:  https://www.beyondepica.eu/en/

Katherine Dow chats with University of Manitoba, assistant professor and glaciologist Karen Alley about her research and work studying a massive ice shelf in Antarctica.

To watch the full interview, visit CTV Winnipeg. 

Aerial surveys capture images over breeding and feeding regions and this is the most popular non-invasive approach for monitoring the populations of beluga whales and ensuring their distribution and health status. Visual analysis of the thousands of large-scale and highly detailed images performed by the human eye is labour-intensive, time-consuming and prone to error because the whales are quite small, extending only a few pixels, and often obscured by imaging artefacts.  

Dr. Marianne Marcoux, research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and adjunct professor at the University of Manitoba, has been monitoring beluga whales with her team and needed a more efficient solution for tracking them.  

“The problems with finding and counting beluga whales are numerous,” Marcoux says. “We only have the summer months to track them, can only track them when they aren’t deep diving, and the whales tend to swim together which makes counting by the human eye even more difficult. Everybody kept telling me there must be a better way.” 

To read the entire story about beluga whales, please visit UWaterloo. 

Co-author Professor Julienne Stroeve (UCL Earth Sciences, the University of Manitoba, Canada, and the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center), said, “While our study focuses on how Arctic warming affects global temperature change, the local impacts should not be overlooked. A 2 C temperature rise globally would result in a 4 C annual mean rise in the Arctic, and a 7 C rise in winter, with profound consequences for local people and ecosystems.

Read here