Hektoria Glacier in Antarctica retreated by 25 km in just over a year, with half its mass collapsing in two months — the fastest on record.
BOULDER: A glacier in Antarctica has just set a chilling record. Hektoria Glacier, located on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, experienced the fastest retreat ever recorded in modern times during 2022, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder. The glacier lost nearly 50 percent of its mass in just two months, shocking scientists and raising alarms about potential sea level impacts.
From January 2022 to March 2023, Hektoria retreated approximately 25 kilometres, including a staggering 8-kilometre loss between November and December 2022. Satellite imagery and geophysical data confirmed how quickly the collapse unfolded.
Lead author Naomi Ochwat said the collapse was “vast” and visually dramatic: “When we flew over Hektoria in early 2024, I couldn’t believe the vastness of the area that had collapsed.” She credited their time-lapse satellite analysis as key to capturing the rapid retreat.
The glacier’s sudden loss was due in part to its geography. The researchers explain that Hektoria sits on a relatively flat bedrock, which allowed the glacier to go afloat quickly after thinning — triggering rapid calving and collapse.
Team member Ted Scambos added, “The glacier’s retreat is a bit of a shock — this kind of lightning-fast retreat really changes what’s possible for other, larger glaciers on the continent. If the same conditions set up in some of the other areas, it could greatly speed up sea level rise from the continent.”
The event is a stark reminder of how quickly polar systems can respond to warming, and how the consequences could be felt far beyond Antarctica if larger glaciers follow Hektoria’s path.
