Glaciers melting fast
August 14th, 2009 by Jim JustThe Pine Island glacier in west Antarctica – one of the largest glaciers in Antarctica – is thinning four times faster than it was 10 years ago. Satellite measurements show the surface of the ice is now dropping at a rate of up to 16m a year. At this rate, the glacier could be gone within 100 years.
Scientists fear that the collapse of the Pine Island glacier could lead to a rapid disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS). Professor Jason Box of Ohio State University said :
It’s like removing a cork from a bottle.
The WAIS is fundamentally far less stable than the Greenland ice sheet because most of it is grounded far below sea level. Its collapse could result in 20-30cm of sea level rise.
Glaciers are rapidly melting in North America, too. A new U.S. Geological Survey report shows the South Cascade Glacier in Washington state has lost nearly half of its volume and a quarter of its mass since 1958. The two others in the study, the Wolverine and Gulkana glaciers in Alaska, have both lost nearly 15% of their mass.
