Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why East Antarctica is a 'sleeping giant' of sea level rise
Eastern Antarctica is the coldest place on the planet. The lowest
temperature recorded there was nearly minus 90 degrees Celsius. Last summer, an
inconceivably warm temperature of minus 10 degrees was recorded there. Recently
in Eastern Antarctica, a substantial retreat of ice sheets has been observed
along the coastline where the ice meets the seafloor, which is likely to
continue as the climate over and around the cold continent warms. This worries
many scientists as melting ice in the coldest region could raise sea levels even
higher. For example, if Denman Glacier, a massive 15 kilometers wide and 110 kilometers
long glacier, melts, it alone could raise global sea levels by 1.5 meters on
top of the currently estimated sea level rise. In fact, sea ice around the
continent fell to another record low. Have we already reached a tipping point?
Read the article and learn about what is happening in the coldest region
on the coldest continent.
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