By autumn 2020, most of the lake and the ecosystem living inside it had disappeared. Scientists reached this conclusion by combining years of satellite observations, ocean measurements and field research collected before and after the collapse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ice shelf and lake had been thinning for decades, but the 2020 breakup was the last straw. The lake drained within months,\u201d said J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Bonneau<\/a>, the study\u2019s lead author.<\/p>\n An epishelf lake forms in a very specific way. An ice shelf creates a barrier that traps a layer of freshwater above seawater connected to the ocean. This unusual structure creates different layers of habitat, allowing freshwater and marine organisms to live side by side. Once the ice shelf <\/a>broke apart, that natural barrier disappeared. Without it, the freshwater could no longer remain trapped inside the fjord.<\/p>\n Scientists Watched A Unique Ecosystem Fade Away<\/p>\n After the breakup, researchers continued monitoring what happened beneath the surface. As reported by the study, measurements collected after 2020 showed that by July 2022, salty water had completely replaced the freshwater layer that once defined the lake.<\/p>\n The scientists relied on instruments placed inside the ice shelf area to track changes in temperature, water depth and salt levels. These sensors remained in place longer than expected because the pandemic prevented researchers from returning during the 2020 field season.<\/p>\n Two years later, the team recovered the instruments and found that they had recorded the transformation of the ecosystem during a period when direct observation was impossible.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw the [Milne Ice Shelf] breakup on satellite images, and two years later we got the data,\u201d said Bernard Laval<\/a>, one of the study\u2019s co-authors. \u201cThe instruments were there, observing. We just couldn\u2019t reach them.\u201d<\/p>\n The researchers also found that freshwater from Milne Fiord is now flowing directly into the ocean because the remaining ice shelf can no longer hold it back. The conditions needed for the lake to exist have disappeared.<\/p>\n A Millennia-Old Lake Is Gone Forever<\/p>\n![\"J\u00e9r\u00e9mie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Jeremie-Bonneau-works-on-Milne-Fiords-epishelf-lake-in-2018-two-years-before-it-drained-into-the-oce.webp\")
J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Bonneau works on Milne Fiord\u2019s epishelf lake in 2018, two years before it drained into the ocean. Credit: Yulia Antropova\/Water and Ice Research Laboratory\/Carleton University<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/A-diagram-showing-the-structure-of-an-epishelf-lake-where-freshwater-sits-above-seawater-beneath-an-.webp\")
A diagram showing the structure of an epishelf lake, where freshwater sits above seawater beneath an ice shelf. Credit: Journal of Geophysical Research<\/p>\n