Antarctic Glacier Thins Faster
17.08.2009 - Ice & Snow, Other, Antarctic
Pine Island Glacier, located in West Antarctica, is losing ice four times faster than a decade ago. This gigantic glacier, twice the size of Scotland, could disappear at sea faster than predicted.
"Because the Pine Island Glacier contains enough ice to almost double the IPCC's best estimate of 21st century sea level rise, the manner in which the glacier will respond to the accelerated thinning is a matter of great concern," says Professor Andrew Ahepherd, a co-author of the research from the School of Earth and Environment at the Universty of Leeds.
If Pine Island Glacier continues to retreat at this rate, the main section of the glacier could disappear in just 100 years, reports the journal Geographic Research Letters. Although it is too early yet to tie this retreat to climate change, scientists believe that the thinning of glaciers in this area of Antarctica is caused by the warming of the surrounding oceans.
