A new study shows that we're skating on thin ice when it comes to Antarctica's ice sheets.
What's happening?
Antarctica's glaciers are in serious trouble. While ice melting is nothing new, harmful carbon pollution is speeding up the process.
A new study from Dartmouth College scientists, posted in Phys.org, projects how harmful carbon pollution can impact ice loss in Antarctica over the next 300 years. The results show that ice loss will gradually increase through the end of this century, but the pace of the loss dramatically increases after 2100.
The projections, calculated from 16 different models, show that the massive ice loss could add over 5 feet to global sea levels. If pollution continues at today's rate, some of Antarctica's ice sheets may collapse entirely by 2300, endangering the future of coastal cities and communities with even more uncertainty.
Why are Antarctica's ice sheets important?
Antarctica's ice sheets are important for regulating Earth's temperatures. These ice sheets are massive layers of ice that act as giant reflectors, bouncing sunlight back into space and helping to keep our planet cool.
However, carbon pollution, which is created when we burn things like oil or gas for energy, can trap heat in our atmosphere, which causes the ice sheets in Antarctica to melt.
If the ice sheets melt, there are cascading effects on our environment and our communities. As the ice melts, it releases freshwater into the ocean, which can lead to flooding in coastal communities and threaten wildlife habitats.
Additionally, the loss of ice exposes darker surfaces like rock and water, which absorb more sunlight and further accelerate warming — a process known as the feedback loop. This can lead to more extreme weather events and disrupt ocean currents.
What's being done about Antarctica's ice sheets?
The Dartmouth researchers emphasized the urgent need to reduce carbon pollution to prevent major ice sheet collapse and protect future generations from drastic sea-level rise.
"All the models agree that once these large changes are initiated, nothing can stop them or slow them down," the study's first author, Hélène Seroussi, said. "The exact timing of such collapses remains unknown and depends on future greenhouse gas emissions, so we need to respond quickly enough to reduce emissions before the major basins in Antarctica are lost."
These researchers, as well as other scientists, are working to better understand these changes and to find ways to slow the melting, but it's clear that reducing pollution and supporting clean energy solutions are critical steps we can take to help protect our planet.
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