Hundreds of glaciers in Antarctica are melting faster as the region's climate warms, a new satellite study has revealed. As the rivers of ice flow into the ocean, they could cause global sea levels to rise higher and faster than scientists had previously predicted. Satellite images of more than 300 glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula showed that they were flowing some 12 percent faster in 2003 than they were in 1993.
"It is increasingly apparent that glaciers can be sensitive on much shorter time scales than traditionally thought," said lead author Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey. "This is strong evidence for a big change in climate on a regional scale such as has been observed."

read more | digg story

0 comments:

top