NASA study confirms Antarctica is losing ice fast
- 6 years ago
ANTARCTICA — A NASA study provided the sharpest focus yet on how fast the Antarctic ice sheets are melting.
NASA reports that the research, published in the journal Cryosphere, used new software and computer vision techniques to look at data compiled over seven years. They found that in 2015, Antarctica lost roughly 1,929 gigatons of ice, 89% of which was from the western part of the continent.
The study confirms that the West Antarctic ice sheets are melting more rapidly than those in the east, with glacier flows increasing in response to warming oceans.
The area has also experienced major iceberg calving incidents in recent years, which renders the larger region of ice left behind more prone to melting.
If the entire Western Antarctic ice sheet were to melt, a study from PNAS estimated it could cause a 3-meter rise in global sea levels.
Scientists say the loss of the ice sheet might be inevitable unless the world can manage to decarbonize in the near future and keep emissions low.
NASA reports that the research, published in the journal Cryosphere, used new software and computer vision techniques to look at data compiled over seven years. They found that in 2015, Antarctica lost roughly 1,929 gigatons of ice, 89% of which was from the western part of the continent.
The study confirms that the West Antarctic ice sheets are melting more rapidly than those in the east, with glacier flows increasing in response to warming oceans.
The area has also experienced major iceberg calving incidents in recent years, which renders the larger region of ice left behind more prone to melting.
If the entire Western Antarctic ice sheet were to melt, a study from PNAS estimated it could cause a 3-meter rise in global sea levels.
Scientists say the loss of the ice sheet might be inevitable unless the world can manage to decarbonize in the near future and keep emissions low.