Global sea levels could rise at a significantly higher rate than had been previously predicted, a new study, published this week in the journal Nature, revealed.
The findings, which came from research led by glaciologist Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), show that the western side of Antarctica is shedding 23 feet of ice sheet each year, from a mixture of causes, most of which are man-made.
Using the NASA ICESat satellite, which recorded 4.5 million measurements over five years, the BAS discovered that 20 of Antarctica's 54 ice shelves across Antarctica were actually being melted from below, by warm water, rather than warmer air caused by global warming. They believe that changes in wind currents pushed warmer water towards the ice shelves.
This means that a larger amount of ice is melting in the area than was previously thought.
The cause of the wind change itself, Pritchard said, was due to man-made greenhouse gases and the hole in the ozone layer, as well as natural weather variation.
Pritchard said: “In most places in Antarctica, we can’t explain the ice-shelf thinning through melting of snow at the surface, so it has to be driven by warm ocean currents melting them from below."
“We’ve looked all around the Antarctic coast and we see a clear pattern: in all the cases where ice shelves are being melted by the ocean, the inland glaciers are speeding up. It’s this glacier acceleration that’s responsible for most of the increase in ice loss from the continent and this is contributing to sea-level rise.”
Pritchard said that the team was surprised by how sensitive the glaciers seem to be. He explained that some shelves were thinning by a number of metres per year, thus adding billions of tons of ice into the oceans.
"It means that we can lose an awful lot of ice to the sea without ever having summers warm enough to make the snow on top of the glaciers melt - the oceans can do all the work from below."
The report concludes that what is currently happening in Antarctica, according to their study, "may have already triggered a period of unstable glacier retreat".
The area which the BAS studied, the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet, would add 16 feet to the global see level if it melted, scientists predict, but it would take decades for that to happen.
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Global sea levels could rise at a significantly higher rate than had been previously predicted, a new study, published this week in the journal Nature, revealed.
The findings, which came from resea...
Global sea levels could rise at a significantly higher rate than had been previously predicted, a new study, published this week in the journal Nature, revealed.
The findings, which came from resea...
It might be concerned if I hadn't read pretty much this exact story every year of my life. We must be doing something right because at the age of 5 I remeber the headline of my local newspaper claiming the sea would be at my door step by 2012.
Ben_Wilson: It might be concerned if I hadn't read pretty much
Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. But I will not take the word of alarmists about anything. We shall need objective scientists to investigate this, not those with a vested interest in alarmism.
SecondTime: Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. But I will
Can I ask a question of all the experts? If the ice is melting from below, due to warmer water, it is obviously floating and displacing a similar amount of water. Therefore, how does water level rise when floating ice melts? Or have I missed out on my ice in my vodka all these years! Water is at its densest at 4 degrees centigrade, so it would actually contract intially when it melts.
hautchamps13: Can I ask a question of all the experts? If
I'm not an expert, but they've published some replies to these sort of questions. Specifically, there's one article in the Geophysical Journal International, Volume 170, Number 1, July 2007 , pp. 145-150(6).
First, you're referring to Archimedes Principle which states a floating object's weight will displace fluid of the same weight. In a cup of fresh water, this means the water level will remain the same when the ice melts. However, this is not the same situation when we talk about the oceans. The density is different since we are talking about salt water, not fresh water. The density is higher in salt water.
The easiest way to explain this is to use a little math. If Force= mg then m which stands for mass can also be calculated as density times volume. When ice melts, it adds fresh water (the structure of ice does not have much salt). When fresh water is added, the density gets lower and the volume must rise to have the same amount of mass displaced by the ice a la Archimedes Principle.
Btw I'm not an expert (college student majoring in biology)...
Dong_Kim: I'm not an expert, but they've published some replies to
What a load of rubbish. It's all "could" this and "may" that. Another scare story by those with vested interests in the "Great Solar Panel and Wind Farm scam". If we have cool summers it's "global warming"...if we have hot summers its "global warming". You can't have it both ways.
TheGreatLeader: What a load of rubbish. It's all "could" this and
We had a known effect called 'global dimming' being caused by pollution from cars and power stations, and causing the temperature to remain several degrees lower. What did we do ? we fixed it, what was the net effect ? apparent global warming.
It is impossible to determine cause and effect from what might be normal changes in the Earths climate and weather. Global warming may simply be an effect from global dimming which lasted about 50 years, and kept temperatures down, we are simply seeing the rebounded effect of this.
Craigzz: We had a known effect called 'global dimming' being caused
We had the ice age , appx 400 years ago we had a mini ice age ,we had a Mediterranean climate ,its cyclic the only difference between nature and the British government is that nature does not tax you for the change !
I wish I could live long enough to see the ice caps melt and the sea levels rise all over the world. It would be hilarious to see the denialists rowing in boats down the streets of the world's port cities while they try to comprehend what happened.
Sunwyn_Ravenwood: I wish I could live long enough to see the
I don't think anyone is denying that sea levels are rising. What we question is the reason why and I do not personally believe there is anything humans can do about it. I certainly don't believe we are the cause.
Rule_Britannia: I don't think anyone is denying that sea levels are
Neither do I. The case for humans having an impact on this scale is so thin it would be a joke were it not for the tragic consequences of policies which take it seriously.
SecondTime: Neither do I. The case for humans having an impact
Just checked out the link to BAS (In the article) Jobs on offer, some cute albatross that are apparently changing breeding patterns and a whole heap of rubbish to wade through.
Full of adverts, full of BS!
Reality_always_bites: Just checked out the link to BAS (In the article)
The BAS discovered that the ice shelf is being eroded by warmer water?
Now would that carry a bit more credence if they had actually published figures that could clearly demonstrate the temperature recordings on a daily basis over a period of time?
No figures; no water temperature records but a bit of speculation.
The earth 'core temperature' has reduced by 0.4 C (0.72F) over the last decade.
If Antarctica is a bit warmer -you can guarantee that the Arctic is a lot cooler!
Yet reports such as this will increase taxes in Europe and the developed world.
Reality_always_bites: The BAS discovered that the ice shelf is being eroded
I can see from your avatar that you would have difficulty expressing yourself in one of the modern Earth languages.Maybe you could consider using a binary language or even having some lessons before coming to our planet!
Reality_always_bites: I can see from your avatar that you would have
The government will be quick fore with this one if the sea levels are rising at an alarming rate its
time to make people who moor there boats in a Harbour pay council tax on top of mooring fees
this way they can make sure no one escapes even more taxes on the back of GREEN TAXES !
oobuc5: The government will be quick fore with this one if
Right this clearly a serious event and i think fellow ministers that we could have a seaside tax ,
yes but do you think that we can get away with that,of course we can ,this time next year rodders we will be millyonairs ,I mean they belived all of that emission crap tax on the cars ,
the rise in sea levels will be a winner
oobuc5: Right this clearly a serious event and i think fellow
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The Huffington Post UK | By Charlie Lindlar Posted: 26/04/2012 12:19 Updated: 26/04/2012 13:13