ALARM BELLS
FROM THE SOUTH
An overview of recent
Antarctic extremes
For much of human history, Antarctica has been viewed as cold, frozen and enduring.
Its ice sheet was thought to change only over thousands of years, posing no real risk to humanity.
While evidence to the contrary has been clear for 25 years, over the last five years, Antarctica has seen an explosion of change, which has significant implications for Australia and the rest of the world.
New extremes are emerging, including major heatwaves, record-low sea-ice extent and ice shelf collapses.
These are the alarm bells from the south...
Most of the extremes presented here have emerged over the past five years. Many were genuine surprises or occurred faster than expected, and most remain not well understood by scientists.
However, they are consistent with the impacts of a warming climate, which can either drive major changes or exacerbate ongoing processes. If warming continues at present rates, the ‘alarm bells’ of yesterday will become the norm of tomorrow.
Looking ahead, it is vital to better understand and anticipate these events. Early detection of changes will be crucial, but it remains challenging due to a lack of long-term observations and a clear understanding of what is natural and what is not.
This is why sustained field and remote observations – both now and into the future – are more important than ever.
Ultimately, while all these efforts are needed, rapidly reducing CO2 emissions to as close to net zero as possible, or below it, remains the most significant step we can take to mitigate climate change and safeguard Antarctica’s future.
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Produced by Mark Horstman, Communication and Impact Manager, Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, August 2026
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