This is the East Antarctic coastline. Icebergs are highlighted by the sunlight, and the open ocean appears black. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, NASA and other research organizations have discovered two seafloor troughs that could allow warm ocean water to reach the base of Totten Glacier, East Antarctica’s largest and most rapidly thinning glacier. The discovery likely explains the glacier’s extreme thinning and raises concern about its impact on sea level rise. Captions and Photo source: NASA
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A new study led by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics has found that wind over the ocean off the coast of East Antarctica causes warm, deep waters to upwell, circulate under Totten Glacier, the largest glacier in East Antarctica, and melt the fringes of the East Antarctic ice sheet from below.
The new findings are a cause for concern because the glacier holds more than 11 feet of sea level rise and acts as a plug that helps lock in the ice of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet…
Read Full Article, Science Daily (11-01-2017)
Changing Antarctic Winds Create New Sea Level Threat; Science Daily (07-07-2014)
New research shows projected changes in the winds circling the Antarctic may accelerate global sea level rise significantly more than previously estimated. It appears they may also have a profound impact on warming ocean temperatures under the ice shelves along the coastline of West and East Antarctic…
