Warm ocean is eroding West Antarctic Ice Sheet

Satellite radar measurements show that ice shelves in Pine Island Bay have thinned by up to 5.5 m yr-1 over the past decade. The pattern of shelf thinning mirrors that of their grounded tributaries - the Pine Island, Thwaites and Smith glaciers - and ocean currents on average 0.5°C warmer than freez...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Shepherd, A, Wingham, D, Rignot, E
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: eScholarship, University of California 2004
Subjects:
Antarctic
Island Bay
Pine Island Bay
West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Antarc*
Antarctica
Ice Sheet
Ice Shelves
Pine Island
Online Access:http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/43t0k929
Description
Summary:Satellite radar measurements show that ice shelves in Pine Island Bay have thinned by up to 5.5 m yr-1 over the past decade. The pattern of shelf thinning mirrors that of their grounded tributaries - the Pine Island, Thwaites and Smith glaciers - and ocean currents on average 0.5°C warmer than freezing appear to be the source. The synchronised imbalance of the inland glaciers is the result of reduced lateral and basal tractions at their termini, and the drawdown of grounded ice shows that Antarctica is more sensitive to changing climates than was previously considered. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.

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