Context:

• A recent research, published in the journal Science Advances, found that almost all the ice shelves on the western side of Antarctica experienced ice loss. 

What are the key findings of the study?

• Loss of Ice Shelf Volume (1997-2021): 40% of the most vulnerable parts of the Antarctic ice sheet.
• Mass Loss of Ice Shelves: Out of the 162 ice-shelves studied, 71 of them lost mass during this period, releasing approximately 7.5 trillion tonnes of meltwater into the oceans.
  • Ice shelves are floating pieces of ice connected to a landmass.

• Lack of Recovery: The study found that almost half of the ice shelves are shrinking with no sign of recovery.
• Surface Melting Intensification: The study predicts that surface melting of ice shelves is likely to intensify in the coming century, which could lead to further disintegration. 
  • Several factors, including changes in sea-ice conditions, ocean swell (regular movement of waves up and down in the open sea generated by wind), currents, and tides, are contributing to this trend.
• Freshwater Release: The research shows that the Antarctic ice “shelves” released approximately 67,000 billion tonnes of freshwater into the Southern Ocean from 1997 to 2021.
• Regional Differences: Ice shelves in Western Antarctica experienced significant ice loss, while those in Eastern Antarctica either remained stable or gained mass. 
  • This difference is attributed to variations in ocean temperature and currents. 
  • Warm water is eroding the ice shelves in the western half, while the eastern half is protected by a band of cold water along the coast.
• Long-term Trends: The study noted a pattern of rapid ice shelf mass decrease between 1997 and 2002, followed by some mass gain from 2002 to 2021, particularly in specific ice shelves like Ronne, Filchner, Amery, and Cook. 
  • However, this did not indicate a recovery, as a substantial number of ice shelves continued to experience significant loss over the 25-year period.

News Source: DTE