Antarctic Glacier Melt May Not Be Due To Climate Change After All

According to a new study, an underwater ridge could be the reason why a major glacier in the Antarctic is melting more quickly than ever.

A robot submarine was sent under the ice shelf at the end of the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica to create a 3D map of the ocean underneath the ice. Scientists analysed the data collected and realised that the ice was no longer sitting on a subsea ridge that had slowed the glacier’s slide since the 1970s.

The results means that the glaciers increasing melt rate may not be down to climate change at all – it could be because of the flow of warmer sea water underneath it. Another possibility is that the water properties may have changed over time leading to grinding for the shelf beneath.

The reason for the scrutiny of Antarctica’s glaciers is that Antarctica is thought to be the key to predicting rising sea levels – if the whole of Antarctica melted, sea levels are predicted to rise a massive 187 feet.