An acceleration in the pace of melting ice sheets and rising sea level in Greenland and Antarctica has been confirmed through new satellite images.
According to the research published by the National Academies of Science on Monday, at the currunt rate the world’s oceans on average will be at least 2ft (60 cm) higher by the end of the century.
Study of the satellite data collected over 25 years established an acceleration in the pace of ice melt. Earlier research also proved that Arctic sea ice extent is declining at the fastest rate in over 1500 years.
“It’s a big deal” said leading author Steve Nerem of University of Colorado. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are the largest bodies of ice in the world and play an important role in the global climate system.
A new map of land mass released last year showed Greenland’s ice to be deeper than once thought. Losing of it may result in a further 2.7 inches in sea level rise than previously estimated. This issue is significant as Greenland’s sheet of ice alone covers 660,000 square miles is more than a mile thick. The volume of which is 684,000 cubic miles.
Sea level rise is an effective indicator of the global climate change and is a sign of climate change and rising average temperatures across the planet.
> Saraf Anika Chowdhury
Acceleration in the Pace of Melting Ice in Antarctica and Greenland Confirmed
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