Survey of 244 glaciers in the Antarctic Peninsula during the last 50 or so years(on average the data starts from 1953), shows 87% of them in retreat. The biggest losses have come during the last 5 years. The glaciers are retreating on average 50 meters a year. Global warming - the average temperature on the area has risen by 2 degrees Celsius during the last half century - seems to be the main culprit, but shifting ocean currents maybe also a factor. Nature. BBC.