The past is an important window in informing the future. The International Ocean Discovery Program, led by Imperial College London scientists, drilled into sediments in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, to examine its ice sheets during the Early Miocene, around 18-16 million years ago, and found that sea level rose by up to 60 metres during warmer periods, the equivalent of melting all the ice currently on the Antarctic continent. However, some questions remain uncertain, such as: ❓ The contributions of the larger East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and the smaller West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) to past sea-level rise； ❓ Where the tipping point of no return for the low-lying areas of the ice sheet lies.
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