Thinning Antarctic ice shelf could contribute to sea level rise, says study | Environment | The Guardian

Thinning Antarctic ice shelf could contribute to sea level rise, says study | Environment | The Guardian: "The largest ice shelf on the Antarctic peninsula is thinning because of warmer ocean and air temperatures that are driving it towards a collapse that could contribute significantly to sea level rise, a new study has found.

The study by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) analysed the Larsen C ice shelf, which is two and a half times the size of Wales. The team looked at satellite radar imagery taken between 1998 and 2012 to find that Larsen C lost 4 metres of thickness.

Until now scientists did not know whether the losses were coming from above or below. The new work found both play a role, but the main driver is ice loss from below.

Lead author Dr Paul Holland said: “What’s exciting about this study is we now know that two different processes are causing Larsen C to thin and become less stable.”

The major loss occurred underneath the shelf where it floats on increasingly warm ocean currents. Around 28cm every year across the entire area of the ice shelf is being eaten away from below."



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