Measurements of time-variable gravity show mass loss in Antarctica

Using measurements of time-variable gravity from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, we determined mass variations of the Antarctic ice sheet during 2002-2005. We found that the mass of the ice sheet decreased significantly, at a rate of 152 ± 80 cubic kilometers of ice per year,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Velicogna, I, Wahr, J
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: eScholarship, University of California 2006
Subjects:
Antarctic
The Antarctic
West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Antarc*
Antarctica
Ice Sheet
Online Access:http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/7w70w956
Description
Summary:Using measurements of time-variable gravity from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, we determined mass variations of the Antarctic ice sheet during 2002-2005. We found that the mass of the ice sheet decreased significantly, at a rate of 152 ± 80 cubic kilometers of ice per year, which is equivalent to 0.4 ± 0.2 millimeters of global sea-level rise per year. Most of this mass loss came from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

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