Antarctic meteorites threatened by climate warming
Over 60% of meteorite finds on Earth originate from Antarctica. Using a data-driven analysis that identifies meteorite-rich sites in Antarctica, we show that, due to climate warming, many extra-terrestrial rocks are lost from the surface by melting into the ice sheet. Currently, ~5000 meteorites/yea...
Published in: | Nature Climate Change |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2024
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/publications/bd5a30ee-517a-4964-84b5-00225ba22927 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01954-y |
Summary: | Over 60% of meteorite finds on Earth originate from Antarctica. Using a data-driven analysis that identifies meteorite-rich sites in Antarctica, we show that, due to climate warming, many extra-terrestrial rocks are lost from the surface by melting into the ice sheet. Currently, ~5000 meteorites/year become inaccessible (vs. ~1000 finds/year), and, independent of the emission scenario, ~24% are lost by 2050, potentially rising to ~76% by 2100 under a high-emission scenario. |
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