Antarctica is bucking the trend and gaining ice for the first time in decades, according to a new study published in Science China Earth Sciences. Researchers say that between 2021 and 2023, the Antarctic ice sheet experienced a record mass gain. Researchers from Tongji University say satellite gravimetry data show that from 2011 to 2020, the Antarctic ice sheet lost 142 gigatons of ice per year.

That trend changed between 2021 and 2023, when the ice sheet is estimated to have gained about 108 gigatons of ice per year. Most of the gains are occurring in East Antarctica. Scientists say much of the gains are tied to precipitation patterns, which may be temporary.