Heard Island Glaciers Shrink by 24% in 70 Years Amid Climate Change

According to a new study, glaciers on the remote and uninhabited Heard Island in the Australian sub-Antarctic are rapidly shrinking due to the impacts of global climate change. Analysis of aerial photographs and satellite data from 1947 to 2019 shows the island's glaciers have lost almost a quarter of their size over the past 70 years.

The most dramatic changes have occurred on the island's east, particularly on the Stephenson glacier, which has retreated nearly 6 kilometers since 1947. In the last 20 years alone, this glacier has been retreating an average of 178 meters per year. Researchers say the island's overall temperature has risen by 0.7°C since 1947, causing the glaciers to melt at an alarming rate.

The situation is even more dire on the neighboring Laurens peninsula, where 11 small glaciers have shrunk from 10.5 square kilometers in 1947 to just 2.2 square kilometers in 2019. Experts believe one or two of these glaciers may have already disappeared entirely. This rapid loss of ice on the peninsula is seen as a harbinger of what could happen to the larger glaciers on Heard Island in the coming years.

Scientists warn that further glacier retreat on Heard Island is now unavoidable, but the extent of future losses will depend on the path of greenhouse gas emissions. They say the difference could be between a future where biodiversity is devastated or one where key parts are secured.