A study by scientists from the University of Leeds shows that between 1997 and 2021, more than 40 percent of the Antarctic ice shelf shrank. While the warm water on the west side of Antarctica melted the ice, the ice shelves either stayed the same or grew because the water was colder in the east. According to the findings of the study cited by the Independent, 67 trillion tons of ice disappeared in the west between 1997 and 2021, while 59 trillion tons of ice was added in the east. Thus, there was a net loss of 7.5 trillion tons. When ice shelves shrink, glaciers release larger amounts of freshwater into the sea, which can disrupt the Southern Ocean's currents.