Scientists are surprised at how extensively coastal ice in Antarctica and Greenland is thinning, according to a study Wednesday that could help predict rising sea levels linked to climate change.
Analysis of millions of NASA satellite laser images showed the biggest loss of ice was caused by glaciers speeding up when they flowed into the sea, according to scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Bristol University.
"We were surprised to see such a strong pattern of thinning glaciers across such large areas of coastline -- it's widespread and in some cases thinning extends hundreds of kilometers inland," said Hamish Pritchard of BAS who led the study.
"We think that warm ocean currents reaching the coast and melting the glacier front is the most likely cause of faster glacier flow," he said in a statement.
"This kind of ice loss is so poorly understood that it remains the most unpredictable part of future sea level rise," he added. BAS said the study gave the "most comprehensive picture" of the thinning glaciers so far.
Rising seas caused by a thaw of vast stores of ice on Antarctica and Greenland could threaten Pacific islands, coasts from China to the United States and cities from London to Buenos Aires.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier this month global warming, blamed mainly on burning fossil fuels, could raise sea levels by 50 cm to 2 meters (20 inches to 6 ft 6 in) this century -- higher than most experts have predicted.
via Antarctic coastal ice thinning surprises experts - Yahoo! News.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Antarctic coastal ice thinning surprises experts
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6 comments:
Didn't today scientists say that the Earth is starting to cool? Man, it's hard to keep up with things when no one agrees.
Hi Cole. I didn't see that one. Where did you read that scientists said the Earth is starting to cool?
Some journal, I can't remember. I don't know if it was credible. Never mind. Still, the subject of global warming is something that is hard to discuss because some scientists say it is, some say it isn't.
Personally, I think global warming is just part of a huge cycle; ad it will cool down again. By the way, have you noticed no one uses the term "global warming" anymore? Now they say "climate change." Hmm, sounds to me like data wasn't showing what was expected.
I think, rather, that an average human brain can't understand that when you warm up the entire planet, some places get colder.
Melt an iceberg and you get a lot of cold water. That cold water stays cold for a shorter time than the ice, so long term, you get toasted, but in the short term, some places get colder weather than normal from the ice water.
Exactly! I bet some people only know that from "The Day After Tomorrow."
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