BBC: Fastest glacier metl in modern history

In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it. 

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website, BBC Learning English. 

OK, so let's learn about this story. 

An Antarctic glacier named Hektoria shrunk by nearly 50% in just two months three years ago. According to a new study, this was the fastest a glacier has retreated that scientists have recorded in modern history. Retreated means melted and got smaller. 

Hectoria is a type of glacier which rests on the seabed and doesn't float. Glaciers like this generally retreat only a few hundred meters a year. 

But between November and December 2022, Hectoria retreated by eight kilometers, according to the study. 

Scientists are concerned because if more glaciers like this shrink as quickly, there could be a much faster rise in sea level. 

And our first headline is about the glacier shrinking. This is from New Scientist, a scientific magazine, Antarctic glacier's alarming retreat is the fastest ever seen. 

And that headline again from New Scientist, a scientific magazine, Antarctic glacier's alarming retreat is the fastest ever seen.

So this headline says the glacier is retreating . Again, that means melting and moving backwards faster than ever before. We're looking at the word alarming. Is this related to alarm by any chance, Beth?

It is yeah. So, Georgie, if you think about a fire alarm or a burglar alarm, they warn you about danger. Now, the adjective alarming is used here, and it means that something is causing fear or serious worry. 

Yes, so in this headline, the glacier retreating is happening so quickly that scientists find it worrying or alarming. 

And alarming has this sense of danger dand urgency, so it's often used in serious situations like this, where there is concern. 

You might see a headline about an alarming rise in temperatures, or crime levels could be alarming if they keep increasing. 

We've had alarming cause fear and worry. 

For example, the nurse called her help when the patient had an alarming drop in blood pressure. 

This is Learning Englihs from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. Today we're talking about an Antartic glacier that has retreated very quickly. 

This glacier, Hektoria, was small, but scientists say that if this speed of melting happens in other areas of Antarctica, it could speed up sea level rise. 

Climate change is making the loss of ice shelves, those are the big areas of ice that you see in the Antarctic and Arctic regions, much more likely.