East Antarctic glacier melting at 70.8bn tonnes a year due to warm sea water

Denman glacier in remote part of the continent could become unstable, possibly contributing to more sea level rise than predicted

The Denman ice shelf in east Antarctica is melting at a rate of 70.8bn tonnes a year, according to researchers from Australia's national science agency, thanks to the ingress of warm sea water.

The CSIRO researchers, led by senior scientist Esmee van Wijk, said their observations suggested the Denman glacier was potentially at risk of unstable retreat.