Scientists have recreated the melting of Antarctica over the past 25 years

Researchers used satellite data over the past 25 years to recreate a detailed melting map.

ice shelves of Antarctica.It turned out that since 1994, glaciers have lost about 4 thousand gigatons - this amount of meltwater could fill the Grand Canyon. A dataset from the European Space Agency confirms this process.

However, scientists discovered for the first time that meltingglaciers are to blame not only for global warming, but also for warm ocean water, which is destroying the lower part of the glaciers. Researchers can track where the melt water flows to predict how much of the shelf will erode next.

Some of the fresh water ends up in the water around Antarctica and will affect water circulation in much of the planet. This could have consequences for the climate far beyond the polar south.

Another new aspect of the study isthe fact that scientists can now accurately trace where ice melts at the depth of the plume. Some of these floating platforms (the largest is the size of France) extend several hundred meters above the ocean surface.

According to satellite data, researchers candetermine if melting is occurring near the thinnest shelf areas, in front or deep in the glacier. “This kind of information can tell us a lot about melting processes, how they occur, or what effect melt water can have on the shelf,” the scientists note.

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