Collapse of the Antarctic ice cap can be prevented, scientists believe

The collapse of the polar ice cap in western Antarctica, which could cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels, is not "inevitable", according to a study published this Monday (16) in the journal Nature Communications.

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Marcela Guimarães

January 16, 2023 18:34

Study by @frazer_christie, @ericsteig et al. shows that the pace and extent of #melting in West #Antarctica vary by location, with #glaciers flowing to the Amundsen Sea most sensitive to atmosphere‒ocean variability atop a marine ice-sheet instability. https://t.co/3aAF5uHgPf pic.twitter.com/n81sirAlvM
— Nature Communications (@NatureComms) January 16, 2023

Since the beginning of the 1990s, scientists have observed an acceleration of melting in this area of Antarctica because of climate changes. The fear is that this phenomenon will reach an irreversible point, in addition to the evolution of the climate.

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Half of Earth's glaciers are doomed to disappear by the end of the century due to climate change, according to a study released this Thursday (5). The work, published by the renowned magazine “Science”, offers the most accurate projections to date about the future of around 215 thousand glaciers. The study authors warn of the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change, in order to limit melting ice and the consequent rise in sea levels.

Based on satellite and ground data, the rate and extent of the phenomenon along the west coast of Antarctica, particularly on the unstable Thwaites Glacier (off the Amundsen Sea), variam depending on different local microclimates.

“The collapse of the ice cap is not inevitable,” said Eric Steig, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. “It depends on how the climate changes in the coming decades, a change we can positively influence by reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.

Both the Antarctic and Arctic polar regions recorded an increase in their average temperature by 3ºC compared to levels at the end of the XNUMXth century, which represents almost triple the world average.

“I think we have to live and do our coastal planning under the assumption that the West Antarctic ice sheet is unstable and we are going to experience a 3,5 meter rise in sea level,” said Anders Levermann, a climatologist at the Potsdam Institute, in Germany.

The expert praised the study, carried out from different sources, although the period analyzed is just “a blink of an eye in glacial terms”.

(To AFP)

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This post was last modified on January 16, 2023 18:36 pm

Marcela Guimarães