Satellites have discovered that the glaciers in Antarctica are melting at a tremendous rate
A research team at the University of Houston, along with their colleagues from Germany, France, and Italy, have discovered the incredible rate of melting and retreat of glaciers occurring in the Amundsen Sea, which is located in Western Antarctica.
The floating part of these glaciers does not allow a huge mass of ice located on land to slide, and if it happens its slippage, then this could provoke a rather sharp and significant increase in the level of world ocean. This is what will be discussed in the material.
The melting of glaciers is accelerating, what will it eventually lead to
According to experts, the area of the bay of the Amundsen Sea, in which such glaciers as Pine Island, Thwaites, Pope, Smith, and Kohler, are major contributors to the growth of the world ocean.
So it was calculated that if all the ice that is now located on the coastline melted and fell into the ocean, then its level could rise by 1.2 meters.
At the same time, scientists consider the Pine Island glaciers, as well as Thwaites, to be the most dangerous in this regard. They lose an incredible amount of ice every year, but the remaining "ice giants" also contribute.
Scientists have noticed that the active retreat of glaciers is due to the instability of the sea ice sheet. This situation occurs when warm sea water washes away the so-called ground line - the boundary area between the floating part of the glacier and the one that is located on the ground.
These glaciers have been actively monitored by spacecraft in orbit, namely COSMO-SkyMed and TanDemX since 2014.
So it turns out that in 2017, a glacier called Pope retreated immediately by 3,500 m in 3.6 months, in other words, its retreat rate was equal to 11,700 m per year, and the Kohler glacier was immediately 1,300 meters in year.
In subsequent years (2018-2020), the retreat slowed down somewhat, but still remained significantly more than all the mathematical modulations suggested. And the melting rate remained significantly higher than that of the remaining glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland.
The only reassurance is that at the most dangerous Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers, the rate of retreat is still low and equal to “only” 1000 meters per year.
Yes, even if the Pope and Kohler glaciers completely melt, their contribution to the rise of the world ocean will be only six centimeters, but if the rate of melting of neighboring glaciers will increase, then the level of the world ocean will rise by 1.2 meters, which will more than seriously affect everything the world.
Of course, if the heating of our planet due to greenhouse gases cannot be stopped, then this will only accelerate the melting glaciers all over the Earth and, quite likely, this will lead to the fact that the world we are used to can change to unrecognizability.
Well, we can only follow the development of the situation. If you liked the material, then rate it and do not forget to subscribe so as not to miss new interesting materials. Thank you for your attention!