Two crucial glaciers in West Antarctica may be losing ice faster than they have over the last 5,000 years, according to a new study published this month (June 2022).
Two crucial glaciers in West Antarctica may be losing ice faster than they have over the last 5,000 years, according to a new study published this month (June 2022).
The international team, led by the University of Maine and including British Antarctic Survey (BAS) geologist Dr Joanne Johnson, examined the history of Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. These glaciers extend deep into the heart of the ice sheet, are currently melting extremely rapidly and have the potential to contribute up to 3.4 metres to global sea level rise in the coming centuries.
To understand how relative sea level has changed over the past few thousand years in this critical region, the team collected shells from several ancient beaches that are now elevated above modern sea level and used radiocarbon dating of the shells to discover when the beaches formed. This information is used to determine whether there have been any large-scale changes in glacier size during the time period covered by the beaches. BAS scientists and geomatics specialists helped to sample the shells and played an important role in determining precise altitudes for the beaches.
Read more at British Antarctic Survey
Photo Credit: 4010600 via Pixabay
