Topline
More than 40% of Antarctica’s ice shelves have shrunk over the past 25 years, a study published Thursday found, as scientists warn they’re losing volume with no sign of recovery because of the effects of human-induced global warming.
Nearly half of Antarctica’s ice shelves have reduced in volume in the past 25 years, according to a … [+]
Key Facts
The study, published in the journal of Science Advances, found that 71 of the 162 ice shelves surrounding Antarctica have reduced in volume over the past 25 years—a big concern for researchers who say ice shelf reductions will have a major effect on the entire ice system and affect global ocean circulation.
Ice shelves on the western side of Antarctica have been most affected by the loss, while most ice shelves on the east side either increased in volume or stayed the same, researchers said—that drastic difference means that the rapid losses on one side are partially offset by the gains of the other.
Researchers said they expected most ice shelves to regrow slowly as they go through cycles of “rapid, but short-live shrinking,” however, but instead the study found nearly half of Antarctica’s ice shelves are shrinking with no sign of recovery.
Ice shelves are crucial as they slow the flow of ice draining into oceans.
Big Number
48. That’s how many ice shelves have lost more than 30% of their initial mass in the past 25 years, researchers said, another sign that Antarctica is seeing changes because of the warming climate.
Tangent
Ice shelves can shrink either by melting, or through: calving—where large chunks of ice break away from the shelf and go into the ocean. Most of the ice losses detailed in Thursday’s study were the result of melting.
Key Background
Ice shelves have always melted but in recent years have done so at a much faster rate, according to scientists at the University of California Davis. This melting has made full shelf collapse an increasingly common occurrence which indirectly contributes to sea level rise as the glaciers that flow into the ice shelf accelerate. Glaciers have also lost their volume, causing scientists to warn of bigger effects on the ocean ecosystem. Ice shelves provide breeding ground for algae, which sustain small shrimp-like creatures that feed larger animals such as penguins, seals and whales, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Further Reading
Ice Sheets Can Collapse At 600 Metres A Day, Far Faster Than Feared, Study Finds (The Guardian)
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