Recent research suggests it is inevitable that the warming Southern Ocean will speed up melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet regardless of future carbon dioxide emissions. This region holds enough ice to raise sea level by 5 meters if completely melted. But while we know sea-level rise is coming from this source, we aren’t yet certain how much and how fast. An international project known as SWAIS2C aims to clarify this question by drilling into sediments under the ice.
