
. 24/7 Space News .

New understanding of Antarctic's weight-loss
by Staff Writers
Newcastle UK (SPX) Oct 23, 2012



The rate of global sea level change is reasonably well-established but understanding the different sources of this rise is more challenging. Using re-calibrated scales that are able to 'weigh' ice sheets from space to a greater degree of accuracy than ever before, the international team led by Newcastle University, UK, has discovered that Antarctica overall is contributing much less to the substantial sea-level rise than originally thought.




"We have tried to weigh the ice in the past but GRACE only measures the combined effect of the ice changes and the land mass changes occurring beneath the Earth's surface," explains Professor King, Professor of Polar Geodesy at Newcastle University.


"Our ice change calculations rely heavily on how well we can account for these important changes taking place beneath the Earth's surface.

"While the land beneath the ice is moving by no more than a few millimetres-per-year - the thickness of a fingernail -that seemingly small effect significantly alters the rate at which we estimate the ice is changing.

"By producing a new estimate of the land motion we're effectively re-calibrating the scales - in this case the GRACE satellite -so we can more accurately weigh the ice. And what we've found is that present sea level rise is happening with apparently very little contribution from Antarctica as a whole."

Because most of the Antarctic land surface is covered by ice it has been incredibly difficult to determine where it is rising and falling and by how much. That has meant GRACE data hasn't been able to contribute as much as it could to help scientists understand if Antarctica was growing or shrinking.

"We're now confident it is shrinking," says Professor King, currently on secondment at the University of Tasmania, Australia. "Our new estimate of land motion helps us narrow the range and shifts the best estimate to the lower end of the ice melt spectrum.



The research is part of a Pounds 600,000 project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to investigate the changing mass of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.





Professor Mike Bentley, of Durham University, UK, who was part of the project team said, "This project brought together a range of scientists including geologists, geodesists and computer modellers to work out the contribution of the Antarctic ice sheets to global sea level rise. We have shown that the Antarctic contribution is smaller than some previous estimates, but the ice sheet is changing very rapidly in some key regions".


Related Links
Newcastle University
Beyond the Ice Age


Share this article via these popular social media networks DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Memory Foam Mattress Review

Green groups presses Antarctica meet to expand marine haven
Paris (AFP) Oct 18, 2012
Thirty environmental groups on Thursday issued a joint appeal for upcoming talks on establishing protected zones in the seas off East Antarctica to widen the scope of the marine haven. The Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA), gathering WWF, Greenpeace, Oceans 5 and other groups, said the plan had to be expanded given the importance of Antarctica's biodiversity. "We are calling on (the meeting ... read more

European mission to search for moon water

Model reconciles Lunar Earth composition with giant impact theory

Massive planetary collision may have zapped key elements from moon

Proof at last: Moon was created in giant smashup

Valles Marineris - the largest canyon in the Solar System

Curiosity Rover Collects Fourth Scoop of Martian Soil

How Space Station Can Help Humans Follow Curiosity to Mars and Beyond

Mars Soil Sample Delivered for Analysis Inside Rover


Austrian space diver no stranger to danger

Baumgartner feat boosts hopes for imperilled astronauts

Austrian breaks sound barrier in record space jump

Patience for Tiangong

China launches civilian technology satellites

ChangE-2 Mission To Lagrange L2 Point

Meeting of heads of ESA and China Manned Space Agency

New ISS Crew Confirmed

Russia launches three astronauts to ISS

ISS Orbit to be Adjusted for Next Spacecraft

Crew Unloads Dragon, Finds Treats

Brazil eyes closer space cooperation with Ukraine

S. Korea plans third rocket launch bid Friday

AFSPC commander convenes AIB

Proton Lofts Intelsat 23 For Americas, Europe and Africa Markets

New small satellite will study super-Earths for ESA

Most Planetary Systems are 'Flatter than Pancakes'

Glitch could end NASA planet search


Zynga stock jumps despite earnings loss

50-year-old computer restored in Britain

Microsoft courts mobile lifestyles with Windows 8

Danes develop eye-control software for phones, tablets
