Antarctica’s ice pack as it appears today changes to show how the continent likely looked at the peak of the last ice age (20,000 years ago), and then cycles back to the present. Since the last ice age, the west Antarctic ice sheet has lost nearly two thirds of its mass, enough ice to raise global sea levels approximately 33 feet.

According to the latest Journal of Glaciology, major stretches of ice shelves along Antarctic peninsulas collapsed into floating splinters as several recent warmer than normal summers took their toll. The research adds strong evidence to the case that climate change can have a significant impact on the condition of the Earth’s polar caps, which can play a major role in changes to wider planetary climate and environmental conditions.

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