Rapid Thinning of Pine Island Glacier in the Early Holocene

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Johnson, J. S., Bentley, M. J., Smith, J. A., Finkel, R. C., Rood, D. H., Gohl, K., Balco, G., Larter, R. D., Schaefer, J. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2014
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Ice Sheet; Pine Island Glacier
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1247385; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1247385

Once in a While Many regions at the edge of the Antarctic Ice Sheet have rapidly increased the rates at which they are sliding into the sea and thinning, raising concerns that global warming might cause the sudden collapse of some sections. Johnson et al. (p. 999 , published online 20 February) present data from Pine Island Glacier, which has been thinning and retreating rapidly over the past two decades. The glacier experienced another rapid thinning around 8000 years ago, which occurred about as quickly as is happening now, and which lasted for 25 to 100 years.