The study examines the progressive unanchoring of Antarctic ice shelves since 1973, driven by the thinning of floating ice shelves, which reduces their ability to support land ice and accelerates its flow into the ocean. By tracking changes in the surface expression of pinning points—local bathymetric highs where ice shelves are anchored—the researchers infer ice-shelf thickness changes over three epochs: 1973–1989, 1989–2000, and 2000–2022. They find that only small localized areas of ice shelf thinning occurred between 1973 and 1989, primarily in the Amundsen Sea Embayment and the Wilkes Land coastline. However, thinning spread rapidly in the 1990s and 2000s, with the proportion of pinning points reducing in extent increasing from 15% in 1973–1989 to 37% in 2000–2022. This trend suggests a continued reduction in the buttressing potential of ice shelves, enhancing ice discharge and contributing to sea-level rise. The study also highlights regional variations, such as the collapse of ice shelves in the Antarctic Peninsula and the widespread thinning in West Antarctica and East Antarctica. The findings underscore the accelerating loss of Antarctic ice shelves and the potential for irreversible ice-shelf loss, with significant implications for future sea-level rise.The study examines the progressive unanchoring of Antarctic ice shelves since 1973, driven by the thinning of floating ice shelves, which reduces their ability to support land ice and accelerates its flow into the ocean. By tracking changes in the surface expression of pinning points—local bathymetric highs where ice shelves are anchored—the researchers infer ice-shelf thickness changes over three epochs: 1973–1989, 1989–2000, and 2000–2022. They find that only small localized areas of ice shelf thinning occurred between 1973 and 1989, primarily in the Amundsen Sea Embayment and the Wilkes Land coastline. However, thinning spread rapidly in the 1990s and 2000s, with the proportion of pinning points reducing in extent increasing from 15% in 1973–1989 to 37% in 2000–2022. This trend suggests a continued reduction in the buttressing potential of ice shelves, enhancing ice discharge and contributing to sea-level rise. The study also highlights regional variations, such as the collapse of ice shelves in the Antarctic Peninsula and the widespread thinning in West Antarctica and East Antarctica. The findings underscore the accelerating loss of Antarctic ice shelves and the potential for irreversible ice-shelf loss, with significant implications for future sea-level rise.