A new study shows an ancient ice sheet retreated at a startling 2,000 feet per day, shedding light on how quickly ice in Antarctica could melt and raise global sea levels in today’s warming world.
, Pope glacier retreated at a speed of about 105 feet per day. That’s quite fast — but still nothing like the rates of as much as two thousand feet per day the study found for the Eurasian ice sheet.The upper rate found in the study released Wednesday is about 20 times higher than any retreat rate measured from satellites and 12 times faster than any retreat rate inferred from similar landforms on the seafloor, Batchelor said.
The findings are concerning for several current glaciers in Antarctica near flat ice beds, said Batchelor. For example, Thwaites Glacier is currently pinned on a ridge but has a flat area of its bed just four kilometers further inland. Batchelor said if the ice were to retreat back to this flat area of its bed, then “we could well see one of these pulses of really rapid retreat taking place in that area.
In any case, he said “the finding that ice sheets are capable of extremely rapid change as they essentially lift away from their bed is an exciting one” and aligns with. Similarly analyzing ridges along the sea floor near Thwaites, Graham was “astonished” to document the glacier had pulses of retreat up to 32 feet per day at the ice front.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The First Women in AntarcticaIn February 1935, Caroline Mikkelsen became the first recorded woman to set foot on an Antarctic island. Learn about Mikkelsen and other women who blazed new paths on the frosty continent.
Read more »
Melt Water In Antarctica Could Stall Major Ocean Currents - CleanTechnicaThe latest ocean research suggests melt water from Antarctica is slowing the deep ocean currents that directly impact the Earth's climate.
Read more »
Rangers OF Josh Smith gives positive update following scary hit-by-pitch vs. BaltimoreTexas Rangers outfielder Josh Smith posted a positive update to social media Tuesday morning following a scary on-field incident in Monday night’s loss to...
Read more »
Savannah Chrisley on Taking Bottle of Pills in Teenage Suicide AttemptSavannah Chrisley revealed for the first time that her teenage suicide attempt included taking a bottle of pills.
Read more »
For School Shooting Survivors, Healing Can Be a Scary Process, Counselors SayFor thousands of students, their healing journey only begins when the cameras leave to cover a different school shooting tragedy.
Read more »
Severely Underestimated: Study Reveals Hidden Ice Melt in HimalayasRevealing 'invisible' glacier loss underwater Recent research shows that the mass loss of lake-terminating glaciers in the Himalayas has been severely underestimated, due to the limitation of satellites in detecting underwater changes in glaciers. This has significant repercussions for the region's
Read more »