Gigantic ice shelf could one day fall into ocean, raising sea levels.
Despite most of the focus being on the west side of Antarctica’s ice melting, new research is saying the massive Totten Glacier on the east side of the continent may one day release a gigantic cache of ice into the seas, causing devastating increases in sea levels.
A report cited in the Washington Post, says the glacier is holding back an enormous amount of ice that may one day fall into the sea, an area of over 200,000 square miles of ice, lager than the state of California.
In addition to the large amount of area covered, in some places the ice is estimated as thick as 2.5 miles, with more than a mile below sea level. The researchers warn if warming trends continue and this vast amount of ice gets released into the oceans, it could raise worldwide sea levels as much as 13 feet.
And that would be on top of the ice melt released on the West Antarctica side, which will likely have already reached the sea by the time the Totten releases its ice store. The research indicated the glacier is already being impacted by warming waters, noting the grounding line, where the ice shelf descends and meets the seafloor, has already retreated about three kilometers since 1996.
Also the research found the ice system that contains the Totten Glacier has a history of melting in ages past. In fact, the scientists say they believe the melting and re-freezing has occurred numerous times since the original formation about 30 million years ago. They believe one of these melting periods about 3 million years ago, contributed to a rise in sea levels of more than 30 feet above the current levels.
Of course, all of this will take many years to happen, and depend on continuing warming trends that are impossible to predict accurately. But other predictions are saying the ocean levels will rise as much as six feet by 2100 due to greenhouse gas emissions, which in itself would devastate many coastal communities and economies across the globe.
Findings from the research were published in the journal Nature.