Simulations showed that this process accelerated sea-level rise by 15% by 2300, suggesting it should be factored into future projections.
Simulations showed that this process accelerated sea-level rise by 15% by 2300, suggesting it should be factored into future projections.
A new Antarctic ice sheet modeling study from scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggests that meltwater flowing out to sea from beneath Antarctic glaciers is making them lose ice faster.
The model’s simulations suggest this effect is large enough to make a meaningful contribution to global sea-level rise under high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.
The extra ice loss caused by this meltwater flowing out to sea from beneath Antarctic glaciers is not currently accounted for in the models generating major sea-level rise projections, such as those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). If this process turns out to be an important driver of ice loss across the entire Antarctic ice sheet, it could mean current projections underestimate the pace of global sea-level rise in decades to come.
Read more at University of California - San Diego
Photo Credit: JayMantri via Pixabay
