New research shows that NASA satellites may have overestimated the amount of ice loss in the West Antarctic.

Scientists used a network of ground sensors to measure how much ice covering the area and therefore how much ice was melting and running off into the ocean. The results showed that the NASA satellite data may have overestimated that amount of ice being lost in the region.

NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) estimates ice loss by measuring regional gravitational forces as the satellite passes overhead. Both ice loss and bedrock rebound (where the bedrock lifts as the ice sheet above it disappears) will contribute to the satellite readings however it is now been found that rebound figures that have been used to calculate ice loss were wrong.  Read more... (184 words, estimated 44 secs reading time)

According to researchers at the European Space Agency have warned that a large amount of Antarctic ice is close to breaking up.

The ice bridge between two islands protecting the Wilkins Ice Shelf and the ocean has already collapsed leaving the northern front of the ice shelf totally exposed. This exposure means that over the coming weeks and months, a huge amount of ice equivalent to the size of Connecticut is likely to break up.

Estimates range from between 800 to 3,700 square kilometres of ice will disappear from the ice front. Last year around 1,800 square kilometres broke up meaning there could be a significantly larger amount of ice breaking up this year.  Read more... (197 words, estimated 47 secs reading time)