Abstract
Understanding East Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics during the mid-Holocene remains challenging due to complex climate interactions. Using Global Navigation Satellite System observations and glacial isostatic adjustment modeling, we investigate the ice-sheet history in the Lützow–Holmbukta region. Here we show that scenarios incorporating modest (65–100 m) ice-sheet re-thickening following previously documented rapid thinning of ~ 400 m between 9 and 6 ka provide improved agreement with geodetic observations compared with global deglaciation models. Our analysis constrains the rheological structure beneath East Antarctica, suggesting a lithospheric thickness of 50–70 km, upper mantle viscosities of 5–7 × 10(20) Pa s, and lower mantle viscosities of 6–80 × 10(21) Pa s, which show excellent agreement with independent constraints from effective elastic thickness studies and are broadly compatible with seismological estimates. These findings highlight the need to incorporate regional ice-sheet histories when investigating past ice-sheet dynamics, which is essential for understanding present-day behavior and predicting future responses to climate change. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-24176-4.