From CryoSat-2 Satellite, Scientist observed that Antarctic lose double of the ice as compared to the last year. Now 1600 Million tones of ices is losing y the Antarctic.
Ice loss is directly related to the sea levels and the loss of 1600 Million tons by Antarctic is enough to raise sea levels by 0.45 millimeters each year alone.
Antarctic’s Ice Loss Doubled
The very first complete assessment of Antarctic ice sheet elevation change is prepared by a team of scientist from UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modeling, led by researchers at the University of Leeds.
European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 satellite mission was the resource from where they collected and used the measurements. A specially designed altimeter for this task was carried by the satellite.
According to the statistics, approximately 159 Giga tones ice lost in each year of 2010 and 2013.
West Antarctica lost 134 Giga tones of ice lost during 2010 and 2013.
East Antarctica three Giga tones of ice lost during 2010 and 2013.
Antarctic Peninsula 23 Giga tones of ice lost during 2010 and 2013.
According to the researchers, ice thinning has been detected In West Antarctica, in areas that were poorly surveyed by past satellite altimeter missions.
These unknown areas are now covered by Satellite and these newly-mapped areas contribute additional losses that bring altimeter observations closer to estimates based on other approaches.
Antarctic’s Ice Loss Doubled1
Lead author Dr Malcolm McMillan from the University of Leeds said, “We find that ice losses continue to be most pronounced along the fast-flowing ice streams of the Amundsen Sea sector, with thinning rates of between 4 and 8 metres per year near to the grounding lines of the Pine Island, Thwaites and Smith Glaciers.”
