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Ice sheets. Volume loss from Antarctic ice shelves is accelerating
Fernando S Paolo1, Helen A Fricker2, Laurie Padman3
1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. fpaolo@ucsd.edu.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|March 28, 2015
Summary
Antarctic ice shelves are rapidly losing volume, accelerating ice discharge into the ocean. Satellite data reveal significant thinning, especially in West Antarctica, threatening future sea-level rise.
Area of Science:
- Glaciology and Climate Science
- Earth Observation and Remote Sensing
Background:
- Floating ice shelves act as crucial buttresses, slowing the flow of grounded ice into the ocean.
- Ice shelf thinning diminishes this buttressing effect, leading to increased ice discharge and potential sea-level rise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify decadal-scale changes in Antarctic ice shelf thickness and volume.
- To assess the acceleration of ice loss and its regional variations over an 18-year period.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 18 years of continuous satellite radar altimeter observations.
- Calculated decadal-scale changes in ice-shelf thickness across the Antarctic continent.
Main Results:
- Average ice shelf volume loss accelerated significantly from 25 ± 64 km³/year (1994-2003) to 310 ± 74 km³/year (2003-2012).
- West Antarctic ice shelf losses increased by approximately 70% in the last decade.
- East Antarctic ice shelves transitioned from volume gain to loss; some shelves in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen regions lost up to 18% thickness.
Conclusions:
- Antarctic ice shelves are experiencing accelerating volume loss, indicating a weakening buttressing effect.
- The observed changes, particularly in West Antarctica, signify a critical shift with potential global sea-level implications.
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