Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves Set to Intensify

New research published Monday projects a doubling of surface melting of Antarctic ice shelves by 2050 and that by 2100 melting may surpass intensities associated with ice shelf collapse, if greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel consumption continue at the present rate.

Ice shelves are the floating extensions of the continent's massive land-based ice sheets.  While the melting or breakup of floating ice shelves does not directly raise sea level, ice shelves do have a "door stop" effect:  They slow the flow of ice from glaciers and ice sheets into the ocean, where it melts and raises sea levels.

"Our results illustrate just how rapidly melting in Antarctica can intensify in a warming climate," said Luke Trusel, lead author and postdoctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).  "This has already occurred in places like the Antarctic Peninsula where we've observed warming and abrupt ice shelf collapses in the last few decades.  Our model projections show that similar levels of melt may occur across coastal Antarctica near the end of this century, raising concerns about future ice shelf stability."

Read more at Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves Set to Intensify