Ancient glacial ice melting out of Alaska’s eroding coastline may offer the Northern Hemisphere’s only glimpse into a pivotal chapter of Earth’s climatic history.

(A version of this article appeared in the March 12, 2026 print issue, Click here for PDF)

The fate of our planet’s coasts rests on Antarctic bedrock.

(A version of this article appeared in the Fall 2025 “Earth” print issue)

The uniquely vulnerable West Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by 5 meters. But when that will happen — and how fast — is anything but settled.

Scientists are rethinking what we knew about a vanished ice sheet — and that could spell trouble for New York City.

Note: My web hosting service does not like the ridiculously long URL on this one. Here it is: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/a-long-lost-antarctic-ice-sheet-could-predict-the-future-of-new-york-city-one-in-which-lower-manhattan-and-coney-island-are-perpetually-submerged