"Meltdown of West Antarctic Ice Sheet Unavoidable, Study Says"

"The West Antarctic Ice Sheet will continue to melt this century regardless of how much the world slashes planet-warming emissions, research from the British Antarctic Survey has found, locking in further sea level rise over the coming decades.

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change on Monday, found no matter the degree of warming this century, the melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will speed up as warmer water in the Amundsen Sea erodes ice shelves bordering the ocean.

These ice shelves buttress ice further inland, acting as a cork in a bottle that stops their flow into the ocean.

Even under the best-case scenario of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) of warming above pre-industrial levels, ice would melt three times faster this century than it did last century."

Gloria Dickie reports for Reuters October 23, 2023.

SEE ALSO:

"West Antarctic Ice Sheet Faces ‘Unavoidable’ Melting, A Warning For Sea Level Rise" (Washington Post)

"Rapid Antarctic Melting Looks Certain, Even if Emissions Goals Are Met" (New York Times)

"Even With Carbon Emissions Cuts, A Key Part Of Antarctica Is Doomed To Slow Collapse, Study Says"(AP)