The rate of Antarctic melting has nearly tripled in the past five years

An international team of polar scientists have found the Antarctic ice sheet has lost more than 2,000 billion tonnes of ice in the past 25 years.

West Antarctica contributed to the most ice loss from the continent, shedding nearly 160 billion tonnes each year since 2012.

According to project leader Professor Andrew Shepherd from the University of Leeds, the increase in melting should act as a wake up call, as the events are strong indicators of climate change and should be of concern for governments worldwide.