University of Leeds scientists have found that West Antarctica lost 3,331 billion tonnes of ice between 1996 and 2021, contributing over nine millimetres to global sea levels.  

Changes in ocean temperature and currents are thought to have been the most important factors driving the loss of ice.  

In order to estimate the calculated the amount of ice lost in the region, the researchers calculated the 'mass balance' of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, using climate models that show how air currents move around the world.

The region hosts 20 major glaciers and is considered the fastest-changing Antarctic region.

The researchers calculated the balance between the mass of snow and ice gain due to snowfall and mass lost through calving, where icebergs form at the end of a glacier and drift out to sea. When calving happens faster than the ice is replaced by snowfall or when the snowfall supply drops, the Embayment loses mass overall and contributes to...