[ **up: [[Antarctica]] ] --- # Grounding line > The point at which glaciers and ice shelves start to float is the **Grounding Line**.[^1] > The location of the grounding line is important, because mass loss from Antarctica is strongly linked to changes in the ice shelves and their grounding lines. Change in the grounding line can result in very rapid changes in glacier and ice-shelf behaviour.[^1] ![[AntarcticGlaciers.org - Huybrechts et al, 2009, Nature 458.jpg]]Simplified grounding line image of an ice sheet. From: Huybrechts et al., 2009. Nature 458, 295-296.[^1] [^1]: Bethan Davies, ‘Grounding Lines’, *AntarticGlaciers.org*, updated 7 February 2022, https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glacier-processes/grounding-lines/.