Unlike the Arctic where the recent trend in arctic sea ice extent is unmistakable, in the Antarctic the trend has not been clear. For example, there has been evidence of increased sea ice extent, less surface melting and more snow buildup. An article about ice loss in the Antarctic has just been released by NASA. It uses data collected by the NASA GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites, twin satellites launched in March 2002 to make detailed measurements of the Earth’s gravity field.
What the GRACE gravity data indicates is that the Antarctica has been losing more than 100 km3 of ice each year at least since 2002 when the GRACE satellites began recording data and that ice loss is accelerating.
Be the first to comment