Scientists have published a new study that indicates that the melting of a large glacier in Antarctica, referred to as the Pine Island glacier, will continue for many more decades into the future.
The glacier in question is located in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and it is considered as the single largest contributor to the rise in sea levels around the world. An international team of scientists from the U.S., the UK, and Germany, conducted the study. The team found that the glacier, which is currently undergoing rapid thinning, has gone through the same process thousands of years in the past.
The researchers published their findings on the online journal Science and according to their findings, the Pine Island glacier went through a similar process of rapid thinning and retreating around 8,000 years ago. Based on what they found, the researchers say that the event that happened 8,000 years ago can serve as an indicator for what will happen to the glacier in the future. The thinning of the Pine Island glacier may be caused by an "ocean driven" mechanism where warm water reaches the ice under the ice shelf.
"Our geological data show us the history of Pine Island Glacier in greater detail than ever before," said lead author Dr. Joanne Johnson, a geologist from the BAS. "The fact that it thinned so rapidly in the past demonstrates how sensitive it is to environmental change; small changes can produce dramatic and long-lasting results. Based on what we know, we can expect the rapid ice loss to continue for a long time yet, especially if ocean-driven melting of the ice shelf in front of Pine Island Glacier continues at current rates."
In the last two decades, the Pine Island glacier has gone through a period of rapid ice loss. The researchers conducted simulations to create possible projections regarding the future of the Pine Island glacier. The team gathered rocks exposed by the thinning ice for analysis. The rocks were then dated using very sensitive dating techniques to analyze the thinning of the Pine Island glacier in the past. While there are many uncertainties regarding the projections, the scientists who conducted the study believe that the thinning of the glacier thousands of years ago, lasted several decades.
"This paper is part of a wide range of international scientific efforts to understand the behaviour of this important glacier," said co-leader Mike Bentley, a professor from Durham University. "The results we're publishing are the product of long days spent sampling rocks from mountains in Antarctica, coupled to some exceptionally precise and time-consuming laboratory analyses. The results are clear in showing a remarkably abrupt thinning of the glacier 8000 years ago."
