Climate scientists have concluded that rapid ice melt in Antarctica will increase sea levels by as much as five meters--enough to endanger coastal cities--regardless of how much humans reduce their carbon dioxide emmissions in this century. In other words, the infamous "tipping point" in West Antarctica has been reached. Analysis of data shows that melting of floating ice shelfs in the Amundsen Sea will be three times faster than the previous century. If the entire ice sheet in West Antarctica is lost die to melting then sea levels will rise as much as five meters, which may cause abandonment of coastal settlements. More than a third of global population lives with 100 kms of the sea.
An example of the rapid rate of melting is the 1,255-sq-mile (3,250-sq-km) Larsen B ice shelf. It was known to be melting fast but no one had predicted that it would take just one month for the 200-meter-thick behemoth to completely disintegrate.
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| Horseshoe Island, credit: Getty Images |
The new research into the rise of Antarctic sea temperatures is led by the British Antarctic Survey. Warming of Antarctic waters is causing the rapid acceleration of ice melt. Dr. Kaitlin Naughten told interviewers that work on reducing fossil fuel burning should continue despite the dire assessments based on her work because global warming has other equally adverse impacts that can be avoided or reduced by greenhouse gas reductions. The study is published in Nature Cimate Change and agrees in some aspects with previous climate studies.