A new space-based study of Antarctica shows its ice sheet is shrinking.
Researchers used satellites to plot changes in the Earth's gravity in the Antarctic during the period 2002-2005.
Writing in the journal Science, they conclude that the continent is losing 152 cubic km of ice each year, with most loss in the west.
In recent years scientists have found other evidence that West Antarctic ice is melting, which could contribute to sea level rise.
In his contribution to a recent report on climate change, the director of the British Antarctic Survey, Chris Rapley, described the West Antarctic ice sheet as "a giant awakened".
But gathering comprehensive data on both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets has not been straightforward, and studies have produced apparently contradictory results, with some indicating a loss of ice and others that sheets are thickening. (link)
Washington post report said:The Antarctic ice sheet is losing as much as 36 cubic miles of ice a year in a trend that scientists link to global warming, according to a new paper that provides the first evidence that the sheet's total mass is shrinking significantly. So it's no reason to not worry about Global Warming.
Tags: Global warming, Glacier, Antartic, Ice sheet
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