Antarctica is shedding an average of 190 million tonnes of ice every day, according to a landmark study that used satellites to ''weigh'' the vast landmass.

Although parts of East Antarctica are growing, glaciers in West Antarctica are melting faster, leading to a net loss of ice across the continent, according to the study published in the journal Nature.

An iceberg breaks off the Knox Coast in Antarctica. Credit:Reuters

''We're confident that the ice cover is shrinking, and the rate along the Amundsen Sea coast is accelerating,'' said the lead researcher Professor Matt King, of the University of Tasmania.

Rapid melting in some parts of the continent is partially offset by heavy snowfalls elsewhere, meaning that the net loss of ice per year is about 69 billion tonnes.Previous studies had struggled to accurately map the land mass under most of Antarctica's huge ice shelves, and this knowledge is crucial to measuring the thickness of the ice.