Antarctic ice melt threatens Australian economy

The head of the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, Prof Matt King, has called on the Albanese government to increase attention and funding for research on abrupt changes in the Antarctic. He highlighted the lack of understanding about the local and global impacts of changes, such as the historic drop in floating sea ice cover, the accelerating melting of ice sheets, and the slowing of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation. Prof King stressed that these changes are likely to affect temperature and rainfall patterns in Australia, transforming communities, affecting agriculture, and hastening sea level rise along the coast. (The Guardian)