Helsinki, Finland – March 3, 2026 – Nearly a quarter of the glaciers that reach Antarctica’s coast are retreating, exposing an area equivalent to the size of the Los Angeles metropolitan area to glacier flow every three years, according to a groundbreaking study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study, led by glaciologists at the University of California, Irvine and funded by NASA, compiles a multi-mission record of how Antarctica’s grounding line – the line where the ice above the bedrock meets the ocean and begins to lift – has changed across the continent over 30 years. Accurate and frequent mapping of continental grounding line records is critical to ice sheet models tasked with predicting future sea level rise, directly informing the planning of coastal communities around the world.

Precise mapping of grounding lines in the fastest-moving sectors requires daily revisits by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. SAR satellites use high time-frequency radar to image ice through cloud cover and months of polar darkness. ICEYE has been providing this capability to key sectors of Antarctica since 2023, complementing data provided by satellites such as the European Space Agency’s Sentinel 1, which has a longer 6-12 day repetition rate.

“The grounding line is a direct indicator of ice sheet stability, so if we can’t map it accurately, we can’t realistically model the ice sheet,” said Michael Wallersheim, ICEYE’s InSAR analysis director. “That boundary moves with the tides on timescales of hours to days. Its mapping requires repeat-pass SAR interferometry, which detects subtle vertical movements as the ice lifts from the layer. In fast-moving sectors, the surface moves very quickly. , so waiting too long between observations means we won’t be able to measure that movement. Revisiting in a short period of time reduces that risk and helps ensure that the regressions we report reflect the true pace of change.”

Researchers found that while 77% of Antarctica’s coastline has remained stable since 1996, intensive retreat in parts of West Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula, and East Antarctica has resulted in a total loss of 12,820 square kilometers, or nearly 5,000 square miles, of ground ice. The most active retreat was in the Amundsen Sea and Goetz sector in West Antarctica, with Pine Island Glacier retreating 33 km, Thwaites Glacier 26 km and Smith Glacier 42 km.

To build the 30-year record, a team led by the University of California, Irvine stitched together observations from satellites operated by the European Space Agency, Canada, Japan, Italy, Germany, and Argentina, as well as commercial data from ICEYE and Airbus US, provided in part through NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program. This study marks the program’s first successful large-scale polar study involving a commercial SAR provider. The University of California, Irvine has maintained a long-standing collaboration with ICEYE, including early research tracking the rapid deterioration of Thwaites Glacier.

“Thirty years ago, monitoring Antarctic ice required waiting months for a satellite to pass and hoping for clear skies,” said Eric Jensen, CEO of ICEYE US. “Today, commercial SAR satellite constellations revisit critical areas every day, in all weather, and at all times. This research demonstrates the value of commercial radar for understanding the Earth, and governments, researchers, and defense planners should expect even greater reliance on commercial radar in the coming years.”

The research team included scientists from the University of California, Irvine, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Université Grenoble-Alpes in France, and the University of Washington, as well as collaborators from ICEYE Global in Finland and ICEYE US in Irvine, California. This research was funded by NASA.

First published on March 3, 2026. ice eye.