Ice in the Antarctic is Melting Ten Times Faster Than it Was 600 Years Ago

According to a 2013 study by the British Antarctic Survey and the Australian National University, Antarctic ice is melting 10x faster than it was 600 years ago.  Taking core samples of the ice on the norther peninsula helped them to calculate that temperatures today are 1.6 degrees Celsius higher and that the most rapid melting has taken place in the last 50 years.

 The lead author of the report, Dr Nerilie Abram, explained that “a lot of changes have happened in the last 50 years … there has been ice shelves [that have] collapsed, there’s been glaciers flowing faster and losing more mass, [and] more ice into the oceans.  To have this record that shows that even just a small amount of temperature increase now can cause a large increase in melt in this area is reason for concern.”

This study is evidence that drastic melting is taking place and the International Energy Agency has indicated that we are on the brink of irreversible global climate change, including intensified storms and droughts.  The white ice of the poles act as reflectors for sunlight; not only does the melting raise the sea level but it makes way for an absorption of sunlight and excess heat.

http://inhabitat.com/ice-in-the-antarctic-is-melting-ten-times-faster-than-it-was-600-years-ago/