New findings by the British Antarctic Survey suggest that current models underestimate the impact of global warming on ice melt and sea level rise due to unaccounted processes in the grounding zones of ice sheets. Integrating these findings could improve future climate predictions.
Warm water flowing beneath can cause ice to melt in ways not currently accounted for in models.
Scientists have identified a concerning new mechanism for the melting of large ice sheets. The study highlights how relatively warm seawater can erode the underside of ice that is grounded, potentially speeding up the process by which ice moves into the ocean.
This process is currently not accounted for in models predicting sea level rise, so the new results could provide a more precise understanding of how global warming will affect the world and the extent to which coastal areas will need to adapt. Conducted by scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), these findings are published in the journal DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01465-7