The melting of glaciers will significantly raise the level of the oceans

The vast majority of frozen water on Earth is found in large ice shelves in Greenland and, above all, Antarctica. Therefore, when studying the effects of global warming on the rise of the oceans, these places are the center of attention in the glaciers and the ecology.

However, an international team of researchers led by the American Marcus Meier believes that this approach is wrong. "We have shown that glaciers and ice sheets, not the two great ice shelves, are the main culprits of rising sea levels for at least the next generations," said Meier, who signed with colleagues an article published this week in Science and the glaciers.

According to estimates made by the team of scientists, the study shows that the contribution of glaciers and ice sheets is about 60% of the water entering the oceans as a result of global warming. The melting in Greenland contributes about 28% of the total and the Antarctic with only 12%. Paradoxically, the place on earth where there is more ice is the least contributing to rising sea levels, and vice versa.

The future of the Glaciers

Also, Meier and his colleagues believe that in future this trend will be reinforced. As glaciers and ice caps will melt faster and faster, Antarctica will at an increasing rate, but much slower. In fact, estimates suggest that the eastern half lose no ice. Consequently, the share of glaciers and ice caps in the rising seas will be even greater.

2100, and depending on the scenario chosen (with or without acceleration in the melt) rise in sea levels as a result of climate change will be 10 to 25 centimeters. To this must be added that from the other reserves of ice. According to the International Panel on Climate Change, for the year it is expected that sea level has risen between 20 and 50 centimeters.

The ecology and the Glaciers

There are two mechanisms by which global warming destroys the glaciers and ice sheets. On the one hand, the glaciers are moving faster, and throw more ice to the sea. On the other hand, the icebergs from these glaciers and ice caps are melting faster because the ocean water is warmer. In theory, if those ice to melt completely global sea levels would rise one meter.