ANTARCTICA
A Dangerous Melt
Two large Antarctic glaciers are breaking free from the restraints that have held them in place, raising fears of a large-scale rise in sea levels, the Washington Post reported.
Analysis of satellite images taken over the past four years showed that the buffer systems that prevent the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers from flowing outward are quickly weakening, according to a new study published this week. Both glaciers already contribute around five percent to the global rise in sea levels.
“The stresses that slow down the glacier, they are no longer in place, so the glacier is speeding up,” said lead author Stef Lhermitte.
The findings also reveal that over the past six years, parts of the Pine Island ice shelf have shrunk from about 1,500 square miles down to around 1,000 square miles – roughly the size of Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, researchers added that the loss of the Thwaites glacier could cause a broader collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which has enough ice to raise sea levels by about 10 feet.
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