Scientists at the University of Leeds have discovered a worrying trend in Antarctica: since 1997, that is, more than 40% of the ice shelves have drastically decreased. The startling part is that there are “no signs of recovery” on over half of these ice shelves, and that this phenomenon is directly related to climate change.
The western section of Antarctica lost 67 trillion tonnes of ice between 1997 and 2021
According to the researchers’ findings, the western section of Antarctica lost 67 trillion tonnes of ice between 1997 and 2021, while the eastern side gained 59 trillion tonnes. However, the total result is a significant ice loss of 7.5 trillion tonnes throughout this time span. According to the Guardian, this imbalance is caused by the influence of warm water in the western region, which causes ice melting, while the eastern region remains relatively stable or even accumulates ice owing to colder water temperatures.
Ice shelves, which are found at glacier termini, serve to slow the flow of glacial ice into the sea. As these ice shelves decrease, they discharge higher amounts of freshwater into the ocean, potentially disrupting the Southern Ocean’s key currents. This disruption has far-reaching consequences for ocean circulation, which can affect global climate patterns. According to Dr. Benjamin Davison, the primary researcher and an Earth observation expert, “there is a mixed picture of ice-shelf deterioration, and this has to do with the ocean temperature and ocean currents around Antarctica.”
The researchers employed satellite technology to track annual changes in the ice
“The western half is exposed to warm water, which can rapidly erode the ice shelves from below, whereas much of east Antarctica is currently protected from nearby warm water by a band of cold water at the coast,” he added.
The researchers employed satellite technology to track annual changes in the ice, even during long northern nights when clouds obscured visibility. More than 100,000 satellite photos were processed to determine the condition of Antarctica’s ice shelves, which are of worldwide importance. The 67 trillion tonnes of freshwater discharged into the ocean over a 25-year period is not only a worrying sign of ice shelf instability, but it also has implications for the globe’s ocean currents, which play an important role in moving heat and nutrients throughout the world.
Davison said, “We expected most ice shelves to go through cycles of rapid, but short-lived shrinking, then to regrow slowly. Instead, we see that almost half of them are shrinking with no sign of recovery.”
