The ice sheet in the East Antarctic has been considered very stable, since it is on average thicker than the ice sheet of West Antarctica. But this thick ice begins to melt, researchers of Nasa were able to show now. The Team of Catherine Walker from the Goddard Space Flight Centre discovered through the analysis of satellite data, several glacier in Vincennes Bay in the South-East of the Antarctic is thinner and faster into the sea.
More glacier affected than in the past
Previous observations thought to have focused on the Totten glacier, the largest glacier in the Region. It alone contains enough ice to raise the sea level worldwide by 3.4 meters to rise. It was already known that its flow speed increases. Now, it showed that four glaciers in the West shrunk from Totten – an average of almost three meters. Also a handful of smaller glaciers loses more to the East ice. The whole basin in which the glacier, containing enough ice to melt the sea level by 28 meters rise.
the cause of the Eisverluste the is Thin the front of the glaciers of past ice shelves. “This swim on the sea, and you lose weight therefore contributes directly to sea-level Rise,” said Ronja Reese, Antarctica-expert at the Potsdam Institute for climate impact research. The ice shelves act like a Cork to the glacier flow. If you are thin, or cancel, their braking effect. “This effect, we have already observed in West Antarctica in the Amundsen Region,” said Reese.
Many factors involved
A “complex Interplay of winds, sea ice and ocean currents,” leads to the melting of the ice shelves, said Reese. Also, the topography of the sea floor, with its ditches also play a role. Data from seals that were equipped with a Sensor for temperature measurement, as well as measurement buoys show, according to Walker’s publication, that due to changed currents of warmer water under the ice. This then leads to the melting of the ice Shelf.
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as a result of climate change could be amplified this phenomenon, in principle, said Reese. In this case, the connection is not proven yet.
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