In Antarctica there are signs of an approaching catastrophe

American scientists from the University of California at Irvine found significant mass loss in large glaciers of East Antarctica, including the Totten glacier and the glacier of Moscow University. The water in them is theoretically enough to raise the sea level by five meters.

Researchers assessed the changes in the ice sheet, analyzing the data obtained with the help of NASA satellites within the framework of the GRACE mission (English Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment). They combined them with the results of climate models that take into account the relationship between the speed of ice accumulation and its flow, and the monitoring of Operation IceBridge.

Glaciologists estimate that between April 2002 and September 2016, both glaciers lost about 18.5 billion tons of frozen water. This is equivalent to raising the sea level by 0.7 millimeters.

Although the eastern part of Antarctica was considered less vulnerable to global climate change than other glaciers, an increase in the amount of heat in the ocean contributes to accelerated melting of the ice.

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