Apparently theres been a dramatic increase in the glacier melting speed in the past 10 years. Ice detorration has increased 25% more in the past 10
years compared to data ranging back 30 years.
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news.bbc.co.uk...
news.bbc.co.uk
Many glaciers in West Antarctica have substantially increased their rate of shrinkage compared with the 1990s.
US-Chilean teams report to the journal Science that the glaciers are losing 60% more ice into the Amundsen Sea than they accumulate from inland
snowfall.
They say the ice loss corresponds to an annual sea-level rise of 0.2mm, or more than 10% of the total global increase of about 1.8mm per year.
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Bob Thomas, who is attached to the US space agency's (Nasa) Wallops Flight Facility and one of the authors on the Science report, cautions that the
observed changes apply to only a short time period.
It is too early, he says, to tell if the accelerated thinning is part of a natural cycle or is a sign of a longer-term change. "Continued observation
is important," he added.
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Stress fractures in the ice (CECS/Nasa Antarctic Project)
Amundsen Sea glaciers are fracturing as they race along
And Eric Rignot, a study participant from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: "The rates of glacier change remain relatively small at present...
But the potential exists for these glaciers to increase global sea level by more than one metre.
Related News Links:
news.bbc.co.uk - Ice collapse speeds up glaciers
news.bbc.co.uk - Arctic's big melt challenged
news.bbc.co.uk - Antarctic ice shelf breaks apart
[edit on 24-9-2004 by QuietSoul]
[edit on 24-9-2004 by QuietSoul]
[edit on 25-9-2004 by John bull 1]
