Scientists say they have new evidence which shows that Antarctica is getting warmer and that the temperature there is rising faster than expected. If it continues, it could have devastatingconsequences, with rising sea levels affecting coastal areas worldwide. Christine McGourty reports.
A pristinewilderness of unparalleled beauty, but behind this sereneexterior, Antarctica is changing. This region, the peninsula, is warming fast. Now new data shows the problem is far more widespread. For the first time, scientists say the continentas a whole is warming up.
The new findings, published in Nature Magazine, come from almost 50 years of data, gathered since 1957. This color-coded map reveals the results. In the east there’s been some cooling, but scientists say that’s outweighed by significant warming in the western region, seen here in red.
“Ninety percent of the Earth’s freshwater ice is contained within Antarctica, and if all that were to melt, I think the sea level rise would be something horrendous, like 65 to 70 meters, but we don’t think that will occur any time in the next few centuries.” This part of Antarctica is warming up five times faster than the rest of the world. What no one knows is whether this is unique or whether it’s happened in the past, long before humans were around.
Eight years ago, I joined scientists investigating the history of the continent and recording the changes taking place now. More grasses and plants were growing on exposed rock, a trend that’s been accelerating. And this week, evidence of change on a dramatic scale. This ice shelf was on the verge of breaking up. Twenty-five miles long, this thick, floating platform of ice would be one of the biggest to break off this part of the continent.
Experts are installing a satellite transmitter to monitor its movements. “The ice shelf is still here, and I-I’m actually surprised that it’s lasted as long into this summer as it has. It really could go at any minute and uh, uh, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the final, the final cracks started to appear very soon.” It’s not proven that our greenhouse gasemissions are responsible, but many scientists believe the evidence suggests that they are. Christine McGourty, BBC News.
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