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Warm ocean is eroding West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, University College London, London, UK
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Satellite radar measurements show that ice shelves in Pine Island Bay have thinned by up to 5.5 m yr−1 over the past decade. The pattern of shelf thinning mirrors that of their grounded tributaries - the Pine Island, Thwaites and Smith glaciers - and ocean currents on average 0.5°C warmer than freezing appear to be the source. The synchronised imbalance of the inland glaciers is the result of reduced lateral and basal tractions at their termini, and the drawdown of grounded ice shows that Antarctica is more sensitive to changing climates than was previously considered.
Received 26 July 2004; accepted 7 October 2004; published 9 December 2004.
Citation: (2004), Warm ocean is eroding West Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L23402, doi:10.1029/2004GL021106.
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