The Koyal Group InfoMag News on Antarctic Glaciers

Melting Past Point-of-no-Return

Western Antarticas immense glaciers are melting fast and giving up ice to the sea at a
rate that is considered already past the point of no return," according to recent research
work done by two different groups of scientists.
The resulting scenario is compelling an increase in the world sea levels of ! feet or more
in the ne"t centuries, according to findings announced #onday by scientists from the
$niversity of Washington, the $niversity of %alifornia&'rvine and the (et )ropulsion
*aboratory at +A,A.
"'t truly is a startlingly disturbing situation," says )ennsylvania ,tate $niversity
glaciologist ,ridhar Anandakrishnan, who was not associated with any of the research
studies. "This is a big part of West Antarctica, and it appears to have been pushed
violently over the edge."
The researchers claim the glaciers are most certainly bound to be lost.
-ne study confirms that a river of ice named Thwaites .lacier is possibly starting to
collapse and that complete collapse is likely to occur.
A second research illustrates that si" glaciers are giving up ice into the sea at an ever&
increasing rate. At that rate, there will be a !&feet increase in the sea&level, states study
author /ric 0ignot, a glaciologist at the $niversity of %alifornia&'rvine, and +A,A1s (et
)ropulsion *aboratory.
"The ice retreat in that area is inescapable," 0ignot said at a briefing #onday, adding that
the glaciers have gone beyond the point&of&no&return."
0ignot and his group utili2ed data from satellites and aircraft to monitor changes in si"
West Antarctic glaciers and the terrain beneath these massive ice floes. The data
gathered confirm that the glaciers are spreading out and decreasing in thickness and
volume. They are also moving faster from the continent1s center toward the sea, giving
up more volumes of ice into the ocean than before and raising sea levels as a result.
,imultaneously, the area of each glacier protruding into the sea is being melted
underwater by the surrounding warm ocean water. This results in the vicious process of
increased thinning and more rapid flow, and the local terrain provides no barrier to the
glaciers1 retreat, the researchers announce in the ne"t issue of .eophysical 0esearch
*etters.
An article in this week1s ,cience says the Thwaites .lacier is predicted to collapse
completely in 344 years. The paper, however, does not specify the height of sea&level
increase associated with Thwaites1 disappearance.