The Ice Sheet of Antarctica

The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is one of many bodies of ice that are melting, but this massive glacier is uniquely important when it comes to sea level rise. In this episode we talk to three experts studying the glacier in Antarctica to find out what's happening and why it's so significant.

Featuring Yixi Zheng, a PhD candidate in Oceanography at the University of East Anglia in the UK, Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder and Paul Holland, an ocean and ice scientist at the British Antarctic Survey.

This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available here. A transcript is also available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.

Further reading:

• Ice world: Antarctica’s riskiest glacier is under assault from below and losing its grip
• Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier: how its collapse could trigger global floods and swallow islands
• Ice shelves hold back Antarctica’s glaciers from adding to sea levels – but they’re crumbling