Aerial pictures of the Antarctic Peninsulas glaciers. Credit: Dr. Anna E. Hogg, University of Leeds
Aerial photos of the Antarctic Peninsulas glaciers. Credit: Dr. Anna E. Hogg, University of Leeds
Antarctic Peninsula– and international sea levels
The Antarctic Peninsula is the largest reservoir of frozen water in the world. It is estimated that in between 1992 and 2017, meltwater from the glaciers increased worldwide sea levels by around 7.6 mm. How that may change in the future is among the huge unpredictabilities in modeling climate modification.
A group of researchers, led by researchers at the University of Leeds, has actually utilized more than 10,000 satellite images, taken above the Antarctic Peninsula in between 2014 and 2021, to comprehend how the flow of glaciers into the waters around the Antarctic modifies during cooler and warmer durations.
Ben Wallis, a doctoral scientist and first author of the study, stated: “One of the crucial findings of this study is that it reveals how delicate glaciers in Antarctica are to the environment. We have actually known for a very long time that glaciers in Greenland have a seasonal habits, however it is only now that satellite information has actually revealed similar habits in Antarctica.”
The paper will be released today (February 27, 2023) in the journal Nature Geosciences.
This time-lapse reveals the circulation of Breguet Glacier, one of the 105 glaciers that feature in the study. This animation is made with Synthetic Aperture Radar images, the exact same images that scientists use to measure how quick the ice is streaming. Credit: Ben Wallis, University of Leeds/ESA
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the most northern and warmest area of Antarctica. It has a 1,000 km long mountainous spinal column, comparable to the length of the east coast of Great Britain, and house to an abundant marine community of seals, whales, and penguins.
Along the west coast of the peninsula, the glaciers drain pipes ice from the ice sheet directly into the Southern Ocean.
Analysis of the satellite data showed that the glacier speed-up occurs in summer as snow melts and the temperature of the waters in the Southern Ocean rise. It is believed that water from the melting snow serves as a lube in between the ice sheet and the underlying rock. As a result, friction is decreased and the speed at which the glaciers slide increases.
In addition, the warmer waters of the Southern Ocean erode the front of the moving ice, which reduces the buttressing forces it exerts to resist the ice flow.
Dr. Anna Hogg, Associate Professor in the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science at Leeds and an author of the paper, stated: “The Antarctic Peninsula has actually seen a few of the most quick warming of any area in the world. Continuing work like this will assist glaciologists keep track of how quickly change is happening, enabling precise assessments of how Earths ice will respond to climate modification.”
Map of ice speed in the study area on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Credit: Copernicus, International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO), Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA), British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Ben Wallis, University of Leeds
Earth observation from space
The European Space Agency and European Commission Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite, whose data was used in this study, offers weekly monitoring around the whole coastline of Antarctica.
The satellite is fitted with synthetic aperture radar which can “see” through clouds, allowing measurements of the glaciers to be taken both day and night.
Craig Donlon of the European Space Agency said: “This research study highlights how high-resolution satellite images can assist us keep an eye on how the environment is altering in remote areas. Future satellites, such as the family of Copernicus Sentinel growth objectives, guarantee to bring improved connection and abilities that will spearhead further insight into the procedures and attributes governing ice mass balance and sea-level increase.”
Recommendation: “Widespread seasonal speed-up of west Antarctic Peninsula glaciers from 2014 to 2021” 27 February 2023, Nature Geoscience.DOI: 10.1038/ s41561-023-01131-4.
The authors of the paper– Widespread seasonal speed-up of west Antarctic Peninsula glaciers from 2014-2021– are Ben Wallis, Anna Hogg, and Ben Davison, all from the University of Leeds; and Jan Melchior van Wessem and Michiel van den Broeke, from the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht.
Financing: Natural Environment Research Council, European Space Agency, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Netherlands Earth System Science Centre.
According to researchers, glaciers– enormous blocks of moving ice– situated along the coast of Antarctica are streaming quicker throughout the summer due to a combination of melting snow and warmer ocean temperature levels.
On average, the glaciers take a trip at around one kilometer (0.6 miles) a year. It is approximated that in between 1992 and 2017, meltwater from the glaciers increased worldwide sea levels by around 7.6 mm. This time-lapse shows the flow of Breguet Glacier, one of the 105 glaciers that include in the study. Analysis of the satellite data showed that the glacier speed-up occurs in summer season as snow melts and the temperature level of the waters in the Southern Ocean rise. As an outcome, friction is minimized and the speed at which the glaciers slide boosts.
Typically, the glaciers take a trip at around one kilometer (0.6 miles) a year. A new research study has actually discovered a seasonal variation in the speed of the ice circulation, which speeded up by up to 22% in summer when temperatures are warmer. This provides an insight into the way climate change might affect the behavior of glaciers and the role they might play in raising water level.
Up up until now, the research study of the rugged Antarctic peninsula has actually been limited because of the problems researchers deal with getting onto the glaciers to conduct fieldwork. From area, advances in satellite technology are exposing new insights into the speed at which the glaciers are draining and moving water into the surrounding ocean.