Antartica

Anissa Katti,

Editor (Antarctica)

 

 

ANTARTCICA – A new study published in Nature Geoscience shows the Antarctic ice sheet to be warming twice as fast as what was previously established. The first evidence of this amplified melting was first discovered by US scientists during the months of summer in the Southern hemisphere. The consequences may be drastic on the rise of sea levels.

Scientists obtained this information from the data available at Byrd Station, a U.S. base in Antarctica. The results are frightening. They show a 2.4°C increase of the global temperature, between 1958 and 2010. Andrew Monaghan, at U.S. National Centre for Atmospheric Research states that, “What we’re seeing is one of the strongest warming signals on Earth”.

Scientists explain that the ice sheet melting could be due to the change in wind patterns coming from the Pacific Ocean. Whether this is caused by human activities remains unproven; however, many strongly believe that it is at the root of the problem. Dr Monaghan, who is one of them, says, “We’re seeing a more dynamic impact that’s due to climate change that’s occurring elsewhere on the globe translating down and increasing the heat transportation to the WAIS.”

This temperature increase and ice melting could well have dire consequences globally. It looks like the “Blue Planet” is about to become “bluer”.