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Texas-Sized Antarctic Ice Void Signals 2026 Thwaites Threat

6/18/2026

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Summary

Story summary

A sea-ice void the size of Texas is absent from Antarctica’s western coast.
Scientists report about 250,000 square miles of sea ice missing in the Bellingshausen Sea versus the 1991-2020 average.
Edward Doddridge of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies said the pattern reflects a warming world.
Researchers warned the nearby Thwaites Glacier ice shelf may disintegrate in 2026, potentially raising sea levels by about two feet.

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Story summary

A sea-ice void the size of Texas is absent from Antarctica’s western coast.
Scientists report about 250,000 square miles of sea ice missing in the Bellingshausen Sea versus the 1991-2020 average.
Edward Doddridge of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies said the pattern reflects a warming world.
Researchers warned the nearby Thwaites Glacier ice shelf may disintegrate in 2026, potentially raising sea levels by about two feet.