The fate of the planet’s coastlines depends on how fast Antarctica’s ice sheets melt. We don’t know what’s coming
Some regions of the continent have enough ice to push up sea levels by 15 metres if they all melt, but researchers don’t yet fully understand the consequences
TL;DR
- Antarctic ice shelves are melting from underneath at an estimated rate of 843 billion tonnes per year.
- This basal melt destabilizes ice shelves, which can lead to faster ice sheet flow into the ocean and global sea level rise.
- Some vulnerable Antarctic regions contain enough ice to raise sea levels by approximately 15 meters if completely melted.
- Understanding basal melt rates is crucial for accurate projections of future sea level rise, but direct measurements are scarce.
- Warming ocean water, particularly cold water found under ice shelves, is identified as a key driver of this melting.
- The potential disruption of major ocean circulations by meltwater is another area of urgent research with significant global climate implications.