A new study uses boreholes drilled deep beneath Antarctic ice to investigate why the continent’s glaciers are accelerating. More than half a kilometer beneath an East Antarctic glacier, sensors detected water pressure high enough to support almost all the ice above. The measurements provide the first direct confirmation that meltwater from the surface can reach the base of an Antarctic glacier, reduce friction and accelerate its movement toward the ocean. “The Antarctic ice sheet holds 90% of the world’s glacier ice. Meltwater speeds up Antarctic glacier ice flow from below.