Antartica is melting much faster now

Ice sheets in Antarctica hold a tremendous amount of water. If they were to melt entirely the global sea level would rise by 58 meters (almost 200 feet). Needless to say that the rate at which ice sheets melt is crucial for coastal infrastructures, and the cost associated with such a disastrous scenario would be detrimental to all of us.

In a publication from the International Journal of Science [Nature volume 558, pages 219–222 (2018)] studies of satellite observations shows that the rate at which ice is melting in the Antartica peninsula has increased fivefold in the past 25 years; from 7 to 33 billion tons per year from 1992 to 2017. Of course climate change and resulting higher temperatures are at cause for this drastic increase in melting rate.

Read the full study from IJS here.

Share

Leave a Reply