How Scientists Study Antarctic Ice Melt

2012, 2013, Antarctica, Cryosphere, Deglaciation, Glaciology, Ice Sheets, WAISLeave a comment

NASA Launches Eighth Year of Antarctic Ice Change Airborne Survey (Oct. 17, 2016) http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-launches-eighth-year-of-antarctic-ice-change-airborne-survey Getz Ice Shelf: Iceberg B-34 Makes Its Debut off Antarctica http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=85727 NASA is tracking a gargantuan iceberg, escaped from Antarctica (2014) http://earthsky.org/earth/nasa-is-tracking-a-gargantuan-iceberg-escaped-from-antarctica Iceberg B31 Heads West (2014) http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84795 Mapping Polar Ice (2013) https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11194 Operation IceBridge 2012 Antarctic https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11135 Getz Ice Shelf…

The Ocean is melting the Pine Island Glacier

2013, Antarctica, Cryosphere, Deglaciation, Glaciology, Ice Sheets, WAISLeave a comment

A brief outline of mission to drill through the floating ice shelf of the Pine Island Glacier. Related Pine Island Glacier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Island_Glacier Worldview https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/?p=antarctic&l=VIIRS_SNPP_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),MODIS_Aqua_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor,Coastlines&t=2016-10-12&v=-1735168,-402880,-1489408,-279616

Sea level rise estimates doubled

2016, Antarctica, Cryosphere, Deglaciation, EAIS, Impacts, Region, Sea Ice Melt, Sea Level Height, Sea Level Rise, Southern Hemisphere, WAISLeave a comment

Brady Dennis and Chris Mooney from The Washington post, recently reported on updated sea level rise projections. Sea levels could rise nearly twice as much as previously predicted by the end of this century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, an outcome that could devastate coastal communities around the globe, according to new research published Wednesday. The main reason? Antarctica. Scientists…

Ice sheets may be hiding vast reservoirs of methane

2016, Antarctica, Arctic, Arctic Circle, Climate Feedbacks, Cryosphere, Deglaciation, Greenhouse Gases, Hydrosphere, Ice Sheets, Methane (CH4), Methane Hydrate, Oceanography, StudyLeave a comment

The study indicates that under the frigid weight of Barents Sea Ice sheet, which covered northern Eurasia some 22 000 years ago, significant amounts of methane may have been stored as hydrates in the ground. As the ice sheet retreated, the methane rich hydrates melted, releasing the climate gas into the ocean and atmosphere for…

NASA: Coolants Contribute to Ozone Depletion and are strong Greenhouse Gases

2015, Antarctica, Atmosphere, Greenhouse Gases, Impacts, Science, Stratosphere, Study, TroposphereLeave a comment

According to a new NASA study, a class of widely used chemical coolants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), found in refrigerators and in home and automobile air conditioners, contributes to ozone depletion by a small but measurable amount, countering a decades-old assumption. A class of widely used chemical coolants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) contributes to ozone…

Fossil Fuel Emissions could Eliminate the Antarctic Ice sheet entirely, causing about 58 m Sea Level Rise

2015, Antarctica, Climate Feedbacks, Cryosphere, Deglaciation, EAIS, Glaciology, Global, Greenhouse Gases, Ice Sheets, Impacts, Sea Level Height, Sea Level Rise, Southern Hemisphere, Study, WAIS1 Comment

A new open access study in Science Advances concludes that a warming beyond the 2°C target would potentially lead to rates of sea-level rise dominated by ice loss from Antarctica, and continued CO2 emissions from fossil sources could cause additional tens of meters of sea level rise, over the next millennia and eventually ultimately eliminate the…

Doubling times of 10, 20 or 40 years yield sea level rise of several meters

2015, Antarctica, Cryosphere, Deglaciation, EAIS, Extreme Weather, Glaciology, Greenland, Hydrosphere, Ice Sheets, Impacts, Paleoclimatology, Sea Level Height, Sea Level Rise, Storms, Study, WAISLeave a comment

According to a new study, sea level rise of several meters might happen faster then previously thought. Based on data from past climate changes, when sea level rose to +5–9 m, including the occurrence of extreme storms – during a time when temperatures were less than 1 ◦C warmer than today, experts warn of similar…

Eric Rignot: Observations suggest that ice sheets and glaciers can change faster, sooner and in a stronger way than anticipated

2015, Antarctica, Climate Change, Climate State, Communication, Cryosphere, Deglaciation, Impacts, Interviews, Sea Level Rise1 Comment

Eric Rignot Professor of Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine, and scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory was interviewed on sea level rise and projections. Ice sheets and glaciers can change faster, sooner and in a stronger way than anticipated Machens: As an ice sheet expert, how do you see the sea-level projections…