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May 13, 2014

Studies: Global Warming Helps Cause Irreversible Melting of Antarctic Glaciers 
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New studies show global warming has helped cause an irreversible
collapse of the ice sheet in Western Antarctica. Scientists from NASA
and the University of Washington say human driven-climate change has
sped up the glaciers' retreat, threatening a global sea rise in the
coming centuries from four to 13 feet. In a video released by NASA,
scientist Eric Rignot of the University of California-Irvine said the
melting has "passed the point of no return."

Eric Rignot: "We've passed the point of no return, and at this point
it's just a matter of time before these glaciers completely disappear to
sea. This system is evolving very fast and is progressing exactly as
you'd expect if it was about to collapse to sea. They're retreating at
rates of about a kilometer a year. If these glaciers were sustaining
this rate of retreat, they would disappear completely in a couple of
centuries."

Rising sea levels pose the biggest threat to coastal areas and low-lying
island nations, which are vulnerable to surging waters like those seen
in Superstorm Sandy.

 

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