Antarctic Glaciers Experience Sudden and Extreme Melting

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Published Feb 9, 2017

A new study led by scientists from the University of Bristol reports that a recent examination of Antarctic glaciers produced some astounding results.

A new study led by scientists from the University of Bristol reports that a recent examination of Antarctic glaciers produced some astounding results.

Since 2009, glaciers around the Southern Antarctic Peninsula have shed around 72 cubic miles of water.

That’s the equivalent of 14 and a half trillion gallons per year, and is in total enough to fill the Empire State Building 350 thousand times.

The researchers that discovered the staggering loss used a combination of satellite measurements and gravitational readings to identify and calculate the extent of the melting.

That data also proved instrumental in determining that it’s been going on for many years.

The glacial melting adds to the previously predicted rise in sea level.

As the ice shelf thins, it reduces the protective effect offered to inland glaciers, allowing them flow more easily into open waters.

Changing winds are largely being held responsible for the changes in the Antarctic environment, as they’re instrumental in directing the flow of bodies of water.

Specifically cited were westerly winds, which have grown stronger and are now pushing warmer water into the Antarctic region.

The possibility that more glacial areas will also start shedding masses of water is considered entirely plausible.