Research led by Robin Bell, a Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory polar scientist, examines the melting of ice surrounding Antarctica and identifies key gaps in scientists’ understanding of how the continent is changing.
Melting of ice shelves in West Antarctica speeds up and slows down in response to changes in deep ocean temperature, and is far more variable than previously thought, according to new research.
An international collaboration will study the wasting of the Thwaites glacier, which already accounts for around 4 percent of current global sea-level rise, and could collapse within decades or centuries.
Scientists from Lamont-Dohery Earth Observatory have discovered that seasonally flowing streams fringe much of Antarctica’s ice. The widespread presence of these melt streams signals that the ice may be more vulnerable to melting than previously thought.