Antarctic meteorites threatened by climate warming

• Published in: Nature Climate Change
• Main Authors: Tollenaar, Veronica (author), Zekollari, Harry (author), Kittel, Christoph (author), Farinotti, Daniel (author), Lhermitte, S.L.M. (author), Debaille, Vinciane (author), Goderis, Steven (author), Claeys, Philippe (author), Joy, Katherine Helen (author), Pattyn, Frank (author)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:0d3acf7a-89f8-46c0-a7f8-767eb44ded46; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01954-y

More than 60% of meteorite finds on Earth originate from Antarctica. Using a data-driven analysis that identifies meteorite-rich sites in Antarctica, we show climate warming causes many extraterrestrial rocks to be lost from the surface by melting into the ice sheet. At present, approximately 5,000 meteorites become inaccessible per year (versus ~1,000 finds per year) and, independent of the emissions scenario, ~24% will be lost by 2050, potentially rising to ∼76% by 2100 under a high-emissions scenario. Mathematical Geodesy and Positioning