New Delhi, (PTI) Meltwater flowing out to sea from beneath Antarctic glaciers, or subglacial discharge, could be making them lose ice faster, researchers have found in a new study.
Modelling the influence of this subglacial discharge on the retreat of two glaciers in East Antarctica, the researchers found that it raised the glaciers’ contribution to sea-level rise by 15.7 per cent — from 19 millimetres to 22 millimetres — by the year 2300.
The findings, relevant in a high emissions scenario featuring 20 per cent higher CO2 emissions by 2100, suggested that the subglacial discharge’s influence was large enough to make a meaningful contribution to global sea-level rise, the researchers at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the US said.
