Data from the EU's CyroSat satellite
[photo courtesy ESA] shows that West Antarctica's ice sheet is melting rapidly, thinning up to 400 feet in places, The rapid melting is making the glaciers unstable and contributing to a global rise in sea levels, according to a study by Leeds University scientists. The region's largest ice steams, Pine Island and Twaites glaciers, are now loosing ice five times faster than they were in the 90's, surrounding ocean currents are a half a degree centigrade above freezing on average. Scientists were able to account for changes in snowfall, separating those effects of from changes in ice. The study results were published in
Geophysical Research Letters.
CyroSat is at the end of its mission life; another satellite, Sentinel 3 will take its place making very accurate measurements of the Antarctic surface to detect changes in the ice sheet. From its 815km orbit it can detect changes in the ice surface to within a few tens of centimeters (10cm = 4in) A spokesman for the European Space Agency said that satellite data is extremely important in assessing the effects of climate change on Antartica, Earth's last unspoiled continental ecosystem, because of hostile weather conditions and remoteness.
