A glacier in Antarctica about the size of Philadelphia lost half of its entire mass in just two months, according to a shocking new study.
The alarming discovery of the Hektoria Glacier's stunning retreat happened accidentally, according to CNN. Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder had been in the process of monitoring the area's fast ice for a different study.
Fast ice — also known as landfast ice — essentially acts as a stationary belt around the Antarctic coastline, serving as an important habitat for wildlife and a reservoir for marine nutrients.
Naomi Ochwat, a co-author