New data analysis confirms what scientists have suspected for a while now: West Antarctic ice melt is speeding up.
In a cutting-edge survey of satellite data published Feb. 13 in the journal Cryosphere, researchers from NASA and other institutions shows that ice loss from the critical region of Antarctica is happening at an increasingly fast pace.
In total, researchers found that Antarctica was losing roughly 1,929 gigatons of ice per year in 2015, the vast majority of which is replaced by new snowfall. But not all of it is replaced by snow, which creates an imbalance that contributes to sea level rise. In 2015, Antarctica lost 183 gigatons of ice that was not replaced by snow. That is 36 gigatons more than the continent was losing per year in 2008. So in total, Antarctica’s ice loss—which can also be viewed as its contribution to sea level rise—has accelerated since 2008. (A gigaton is one billion tons.)
Source :- qz
In a cutting-edge survey of satellite data published Feb. 13 in the journal Cryosphere, researchers from NASA and other institutions shows that ice loss from the critical region of Antarctica is happening at an increasingly fast pace.
In total, researchers found that Antarctica was losing roughly 1,929 gigatons of ice per year in 2015, the vast majority of which is replaced by new snowfall. But not all of it is replaced by snow, which creates an imbalance that contributes to sea level rise. In 2015, Antarctica lost 183 gigatons of ice that was not replaced by snow. That is 36 gigatons more than the continent was losing per year in 2008. So in total, Antarctica’s ice loss—which can also be viewed as its contribution to sea level rise—has accelerated since 2008. (A gigaton is one billion tons.)
Source :- qz
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