Antarctica ice melt loss has increased six-fold

Antarctica has been losing ice mass at an accelerated rate, increasing global sea levels. Research by glaciologists from the University of California, NASA, and Utrecht University shows a sixfold increase in ice loss from 1979 to 2017. Data was collected using satellite imagery and NASA's Operation Ice Bridge. Another study highlights the effect of Earth's axial tilt on Antarctic ice sheets. Sea ice, crucial for protecting underwater ice, is at its lowest since 1979.

How much more ice mass is Antarctica losing annually now compared to 40 years ago?

• Two times more

• Six times more

• Eight times more

• Four times more

Which institutions were involved in the 40-year research on Antarctica's ice mass loss?

• University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Harvard University and European Space Agency

• Stanford University and Indian Space Research Organisation

• MIT and Russian Space Agency

What was the annual ice mass loss in Antarctica between 2009 and 2017?

• 40 gigatons

• 100 gigatons

• 252 gigatons

• 500 gigatons

What natural phenomenon, related to Earth's axial tilt, affects the Antarctic ice sheet?

• Precession

• Obliquity

• Nutation

• Eccentricity

Why is sea ice around Antarctica crucial for the continent's underwater ice?

• It provides a habitat for penguins

• It protects underwater ice from warmer waters

• It supports the growth of marine algae

• It reflects sunlight to reduce global warming