Eastern Antarctica’s Ice Growth: The Story You Haven’t Heard

Written by Dr. Matthew Wielicki on June 10, 2024. Posted in Current News

This is another example of the mainstream media (MSM) skewing scientific reporting to serve the interests of the climate-industrial complex.

This bias often manifests in selective coverage, where sensationalist narratives about climate change are given prominence, while contradictory or nuanced findings are ignored… If it bleeds, it leads. Check out my 7-part series examining the most newsworthy climate papers in the last decade and if any of the predictions have come true… Spoiler alert, not many.

A prime example is the recent study highlighting significant ice growth in Eastern Antarctica, which has received little to no media attention compared to the constant alarmist coverage of the Thwaites Glacier and Western Antarctica.

A recent study published in Nature Communications reveals substantial ice growth in Eastern Antarctica.

The researchers found that contrary to popular belief and media portrayal, parts of Eastern Antarctica have been gaining ice mass. This finding challenges the dominant narrative that Antarctic ice is melting due to global warming from rising anthropogenic GHG concentrations.

The study utilized satellite altimetry data from the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 mission and laser altimetry data from NASA’s ICESat-2 mission to measure changes in ice thickness.

This figure illustrates that Eastern Antarctica is experiencing significant ice growth and stability in many regions, contradicting the prevalent narrative of uniform ice melt across the continent.

The study uses robust historical data combined with modern satellite measurements, providing a detailed and accurate picture of glacier dynamics in Eastern Antarctica.

These findings are crucial for a balanced understanding of Antarctic ice behavior, emphasizing the need to consider regional variations rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all narrative driven by the climate-industrial complex.

The study states…

“Our results demonstrate that the stability and growth in ice elevations observed in terrestrial basins over the past few decades are part of a trend spanning at least a century, and highlight the importance of understanding long-term changes when interpreting current dynamics.”

However, this study has been largely ignored by mainstream media outlets, which prefer to focus on more sensationalist stories of melting ice and rising sea levels.

In stark contrast, the Thwaites Glacier in Western Antarctica has been the subject of extensive media coverage. Dubbed the “Doomsday Glacier,” it is often portrayed as a ticking time bomb that could lead to catastrophic sea level rise.

While the potential instability of the Thwaites Glacier is indeed concerning, recent research challenges the sensationalized portrayal of Thwaites Glacier in media outlets.

A recent search in Google for news articles, over the last month, reveals a stark contrast in media coverage between the ice growth in Eastern Antarctica and the Thwaites Glacier in Western Antarctica. The study published in Nature Communications highlighting significant ice growth in Eastern Antarctica has received virtually no media attention.

In contrast, a simple search for “Thwaites Glacier” yields many alarmist articles, emphasizing its potential to cause catastrophic sea level rise. Titles such as “New research on Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier could reshape sea-level rise predictions” and “Warm ocean water is rushing beneath Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ making its collapse more likely” dominate the headlines, perpetuating a narrative of imminent disaster.

This sensationalism creates a climate of fear, particularly in young people, driving public support for radical policy measures and unproven green technologies, often without a balanced discussion of the scientific evidence.

If CO2 is indeed the primary driver of Antarctic melting, it raises a critical question: why are the Eastern and Western portions of Antarctica behaving so differently?

While the media frequently highlights the alarming retreat and potential collapse of glaciers in Western Antarctica, such as the Thwaites Glacier, it ignores more recent studies that reveal significant ice growth and stability in Eastern Antarctica.

This dichotomy clearly shows that factors beyond CO2 emissions dominate in influencing regional ice dynamics, lest CO2 behaves differently in different portions of the continent. Variations in oceanic currents, atmospheric circulation, and geothermal heat flux are the primary drivers of these divergent behaviors, and challenge the oversimplified narrative that rising CO2 levels are melting Antarctic ice.

Selective reporting by the media serves the climate-industrial complex by emphasizing stories that support the narrative of imminent climate catastrophe. By doing so, they can push for radical policy changes, often without fully considering the scientific nuances or potential drawbacks. This approach not only misinforms the public but also skews the scientific discourse.

The case of Eastern Antarctica’s ice growth is a clear example of how significant findings can be ignored in favor of more sensationalist narratives. For a truly informed public and effective climate policy, it is essential to promote balanced and fact-based reporting that considers the full spectrum of scientific evidence… Which the MSM clearly refuses to do.

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