According to scientists, 71 of the 162 ice shelves that surround Antarctica have reduced in volume over 25 years from 1997 to 2021, with a net release of 7.5 trillion metric tons of meltwater into the oceans. The work is published in the journal Science Advances.
They found that almost all the ice shelves on the western side of Antarctica experienced ice loss. In contrast, most of the ice shelves on the eastern side stayed the same or increased in volume.
Over the 25 years, the scientists calculated almost 67 trillion metric tons of ice was exported to the ocean, which was offset by 59 trillion metric tons of ice being added to the ice shelves, giving a net loss of 7.5 trillion metric tons.
Dr. Benjamin Davison, a research fellow at the University of Leeds who led the study, said, “There is a mixed picture of ice-shelf deterioration, and this is to do with the ocean temperature and ocean currents around Antarctica.”
“The western half is exposed to warm water, which can rapidly erode the ice shelves from below, whereas much of East Antarctica is currently protected from nearby warm water by a band of cold water at the coast.”
2023-10-13 05:48:02
Source from phys.org