New findings by the British Antarctic Survey suggest that current models underestimate the impact of global warming on ice melt and sea level rise due to unaccounted processes in the grounding zones of ice sheets. Integrating these findings could improve future climate predictions.Scientists have identified a concerning new mechanism for the melting of large ice sheets.
The new study models how seawater can seep between the land and the ice sheet that rests on it, and how this affects the localized melting of the ice, lubricating the bed and influencing the speed at which it could slide towards the sea. And it looks at how this process accelerates with warming water.
Ice melt in this way, which is currently not accounted for in the models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others, could explain why ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland seem to be shrinking faster than expected, Bradley says. Including the results of the new work in such models could give more reliable estimates.
Technology Technology Latest News, Technology Technology Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: ScienceDaily - 🏆 452. / 53 Read more »