A group of international oceanologists and climatologists has determined that since 1970, the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland have collectively lost approximately 11.3 trillion tons of ice. As a result of these losses, the global ocean level has risen by approximately 3.1 centimeters.
Sea-news.az reports that, according to information from the press service of Britain’s Northumbria University, the study on ice loss combined satellite observations with the results of 42 scientific investigations. The research was based on data obtained from 27 climate satellites observing the Earth’s polar regions since 1972.
According to Dr. Ines Otosaka, associate professor at Northumbria University, approximately 80 percent of the total ice loss is related not to the melting of surface-near layers of the ice sheets, but to the acceleration of glaciers moving toward the World Ocean.
Scientists evaluated the changes occurring in the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland over the past half-century by comparing various satellite data and climate model calculations.
The results of the study demonstrate the importance of tracking the impact of changes in polar glaciers on the global ocean level and studying the dynamics of ice sheets with greater precision.
