New scientific research has found that the amount of Antarctic ice melting each year is now about 80 billion tons more than in 1996. Experts used satellite measurements, and the results show that the rate of ice and snow loss in the western half of Antarctica is 140% faster than it was ten years ago.
Earlier studies suggested that the total amount of ice in Antarctica could increase over the next century due to increased snowfall. However, the latest research has overturned this assumption.
The estimated annual ice and snow loss in Antarctica is currently 196 billion tons; the most severely affected area is West Antarctica, where the estimated loss in 2006 was 132 billion tons, an increase of 49 billion tons compared to the 83 billion tons lost in 1996.
In the Antarctic Peninsula, the rate of ice and snow loss is even faster, with estimated losses increasing from 25 billion tons to 60 billion tons. It is believed that ice and snow loss in East Antarctica is much lower, at 4 billion tons per year, and has remained unchanged since 1996.
An international team of scientists is currently observing changes in the ice and snow cover along 85% of the Antarctic coast. Professor Bumma of the University of Bristol stated that scientists' observations in the area have revealed significant and dramatic changes in ice thickness, demonstrating that changes in the climate system can quickly impact Antarctic ice sheets.
Bumma stated that this observation further corroborates a global trend in which mountains around the world, Greenland, the Patagonian Plateau, and glaciers in Alaska are all shrinking.
Bangma stated that while it cannot be definitively stated that global warming is the culprit behind glacial melting, it is widely believed that the accelerated loss of ice and snow in Antarctica is due to warming water temperatures, which in turn is caused by climate change, thus altering global ocean currents.
Bumma stated that the increased loss of Antarctic ice and snow is partly due to climate evolution over a period of thousands of years; some of the changes currently occurring are actually the result of events that occurred 12,000 years ago affecting the climate.
The temperature rise caused by climate change is more pronounced in the North and South Poles than in other parts of the world; however, scholars have not yet fully understood the natural mechanisms controlling the Antarctic ice sheet.
Newly obtained data can help the scientific community estimate how much ice and snow will be lost over the next 100 years. If sea levels rise in the coming decades, the melting of Antarctic ice sheets is likely the biggest cause. If Antarctic ice sheets completely melt, sea levels are estimated to rise by 61 to 65 meters; in comparison, if all the glaciers in Greenland were to melt, sea levels would rise by 7 meters.
Updated date:2008/03/27 04:34
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