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Earth observation satellites reveal variations in the timing and pace of glacial retreat in Antarctica

Climate Change

Climate change and warming of the seas have a big impact on the fact that the glaciers flowing into the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica have been drastically losing ice.


The Earth observation satellites have observed this region for two decades already and they have revealed that there are variations in the timing and pace of glacial retreat in West Antarctica.


Some glaciers’ thinning spreads up to three times faster than on neighbouring tributaries, and was offset by decades. Possible reasons for this include differences in glacier catchment size, bedrock, topography and hydrology.




“As well as being able to routinely monitor the polar ice sheets as a whole, these results show the ability of satellites to pinpoint how individual glaciers are responding to environmental change,” said CPOM Director Professor Andy Shepherd. “The next steps are to refine our calculations of ice loss and sea level rise from the Antarctic ice sheet as a whole, and, in turn, improve our models of what might happen in the future,” he added.




(Source ESA)