Antarctica likely to drive rapid sea-level rise under climate change
Source: Australian National University
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
Antarctica likely to drive rapid sea-level rise under climate change
by Australian National University
Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have shown that ice melt from Antarctica drives rapid and high sea-level rise, offering a forewarning of what to expect under human-driven climate change.
The researchers examined historical and new data from the 'last interglacial', which took place 125,000 to 118,000 years ago and saw sea levels rise up to 10 metres above current levels.
Interglacials are periods of warmer global temperatures that can last thousands of years.
The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that sea levels rose up to three metres per century, largely driven by ice loss in the Antarctic ice sheet.
Lead author, Professor Eelco Rohling, said that the last interglacial sea-rise was due to natural climate instabilities.
"These were smaller and slower than the human-caused climate disturbance of today," he said.
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Read more: https://phys.org/news/2019-11-antarctica-rapid-sea-level-climate.html
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Related: Asynchronous Antarctic and Greenland ice-volume contributions to the last interglacial sea-level highstand (Nature Communications)
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The headlines from other outlets are much more sensational:
• Scientists looked at sea levels 125,000 years in the past. The results are terrifying (The Conversation)
• Scientists Study Sea Levels 125,000 Years Ago And It's a Terrifying Look at Our Future (Science Alert)