Scientists' assumptions were not justified: everything is much worse
Scientists have found that since 1997, Antarctica has lost 7.5 trillion tons of ice. The study found that more than 40% of ice shelves have shrunk and millions of tons of fresh water are leaking into the ocean.
More than 40% of Antarctica's ice shelves have disappeared since 1997, with almost half of them showing “no signs recovery”, as shown by a study linking this change to climate change, writes The Guardian.
Scientists from the University of Leeds estimate that between 1997 and 2021, the west lost 67 trillion tons of ice, while the east added 59 trillion tons, resulting in a net loss of 7.5 trillion tons.
Warming waters on the western side of Antarctica have contributed to the melting of ice, while in the east, ice shelves have either remained the same or expanded as the water there has become colder, The Guardian notes.
Shelves glaciers are located at the ends of glaciers and slow down the rate of their flow into the sea. As glaciers shrink, they release more fresh water into the sea, which can disrupt Southern Ocean currents.
Dr Benjamin Davison, an Earth observation expert and leader of the study, said: “There is a mixed picture of ice shelf deterioration and this is linked to ocean temperatures and ocean currents around Antarctica. The western half is exposed to warm water that can quickly erode ice shelves from below, while most of East Antarctica is currently protected from nearby warm water by a strip of cold water along the coast.
Scientists measured year-by-year changes in ice conditions using satellites that can see through thick clouds during the long polar nights.
Researchers studied more than 100,000 images taken from space to analyze the condition of ice shelves that may have negative consequences for the rest of the globe, and published their findings in the journal Scientific Advances.
An estimated 67 million tons of fresh water released into the ocean over a 25-year period affects ocean currents that transport heat and nutrients around the world.
Scientists believe ice loss is the result of climate change crisis because there would be more ice regrowth if it were part of a cycle of natural change.
Dr Davison admits: “We expected most ice shelves to go through cycles of rapid but short-lived decline, and then they will slowly grow again. Instead, we see almost half of them shrinking with no sign of recovery.
Last month, a study found that Antarctica is likely to warm almost twice as fast as the rest of the world, and faster than climate crisis models predict.
Scientists in France analyzed 78 Antarctic ice cores to recreate temperatures 1,000 years ago and found that the continent is warming beyond what would be expected naturally fluctuations.