‘Uncovered’ basin gives new insight into impact of West Antarctica ice loss

‘Uncovered’ basin gives new insight into impact of West Antarctica ice loss

A consortium of British scientists, including a glaciologist from the University of Aberdeen, have uncovered a deep, ice-covered basin – measuring approximately the size of Wales - in a previously little explored area of West Antarctica.

Their findings – reported in the journal Nature Geoscience (Wednesday May 9)- add further evidence to the significant threat ice loss from the Antarctic ice sheet poses to the global rise in sea levels.

Dr Robert Bingham, a glaciologist working in the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences said: “Ice loss from the Antarctic ice sheet is today contributing to around 10% of the observed rise in sea-level around the world.

“Over the last decade, scientists have used satellite observations to observe that certain parts of the West Antarctic ice sheet are losing ice especially rapidly.

“The ice loss is caused by a combination of warming air and warming ocean currents attacking the ice sheet from its edges, but ice loss has been especially pronounced where the bed of the ice steepens with distance inland.

“We used radar-mapping to uncover this new basin which is located in the Weddell Sea sector of West Antarctica, measures 100 by 200 km and slopes inland well below sea level, reaching nearly 2 km deep in places.

“The basin flows into the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, where findings in a Nature paper also published this week project imminent oceanic warming.

“What our survey reveals is that even more of West Antarctica than was previously thought may be unstable and could quickly undergo ice loss.

“This is especially significant given that the ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet makes the greatest individual contribution to the global rise in sea levels.”

The new survey – which was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) - was led by the University of Edinburgh with British Antarctic Survey and the Universities of Aberdeen, Exeter and York.

The first clues that the basin may exist were discovered by Dr Bingham and University of Edinburgh glaciologist Professor Martin Siegert when in 2007 they examined reconnaissance radar data from the region collected by aeroplane overflights during the 1970s.

The 1970s data suggested the bed had an unstable configuration, but were too sparse to be conclusive. This motivated a comprehensive new radar survey of this previously little explored area of West Antarctica during 2010-11 which has resulted in these latest findings.

Search News

Browse by Month

2024

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2024
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2024
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2024
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2024
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2024
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2024
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2024
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2024
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2024

2004

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2004
  12. Dec

2003

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2003

1999

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 1999
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 1999
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

1998

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 1998
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 1998
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 1998
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 1998
  12. Dec