Uh Oh: Antarctica Might Melt Much Faster Than We Thought

[Agschmid]

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[div style="display:inline; background-color:#FFFF66;"]Sea level rise—perhaps the most consequential effect of climate change—just got a whole lot more urgent. If you live near the coast, this is your wakeup call.

In a study released Wednesday, a new estimate of how much Antarctic ice would melt in a warmer world nearly doubles previous projections of sea level rise by the end of the century. And it might be even worse than that: The study did not explore the true worst-case scenario, and its lead author said the work is still incomplete. Taken together with recent results from other research teams—most notably James Hansen’s, just last week—it’s increasingly clear that consensus projections of near-term sea level rise, about three feet in the next 85 years, are likely an underestimate.

The latest information comes via a breakthrough in simulating the behavior of Antarctica’s vast and complex network of glaciers and ice shelves. That’s brought a more complete understanding of how warmer air temperatures—projected to surpass those regularly experienced on Earth at any point during at least the last few million years—are affecting the sea level. At the same time, the study provides new certainty that—should the world act immediately to curb carbon emissions at a scale far beyond current efforts—virtually all Antarctic ice melt could be avoided.

We should take this result very seriously. The new study prompted a lapse into Ciceronian prose from the New York Times and an instant revision to sea level rise projection maps for coastal cities worldwide, with many observers noting that, at current effort levels, humanity is veering dangerously close to the worst-case scenario.

Read More on Slate.com

[LiberalElite]

1. I'm thinking my ashes should be

put on a shelf instead of in the ground...

[Agschmid]

3. My plan was to be sprinkled into the ocean, seems like a good idea at this point.

[daleanime]

2. kick, kick, kick....