Quote:
Originally Posted by niky
Antarctica was/is growing... but the growth itself was slowing, last I heard.
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It takes a while to interpret all the data, so figuring out the rate of growth/shrinkage isn't clear cut.
Haven't read the links you've posted yet, but my understanding is part is shrinking, but the overall ice cover is increasing. (but again, with a slowing rate of growth... but if that's reversed... welp... yikes)
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The greatest global warming has been in the ocean,between the Southern tip of South America and the Antarctic continent.
The warming water is undermining the ice shelves from below the water line.
Of interest (and alarm) to the glaciologists,is the breakup of the ice sheets,which buttress the continental-borne ice.
Without the ice sheets to hold the ice against a gravitational gradient,the ice is accelerating towards the ocean and calving off as new ice which WILL increase global sea rise.
On top of that,as the mass of ice diminishes,the crust and mantle experience continental rebound,in which Antarctica literally raises up,exacerbating sea rise.Any 'positive' tilt of the continent would/could fuel even higher accelerated ice movement and calving,setting up another non-linear feedback loop,accelerating sea rise.Abrupt climate change.
If the sea ice melts,it affects the Thermohaline Cycle which historically transports heat energy.Monkey-wrenching on the grandest scale.