Scientists Discover Massive Instability Under East Antarctica Glacier
Scientists thought the Denman Glacier was less vulnerable than the continent’s western coast, but it has receded almost three miles in two decades.
Lower Denman Glacier, as it empties into the Shackleton Ice Shelf on Nov. 14, 2019.
Source: John Sonntag/NASA
An Antarctic glacier that contains enough water to eventually raise global sea levels by 5 feet has been melting dramatically in the last two decades, according to NASA-led research published today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The finding brings new attention to the eastern coast of the coldest continent. Scientists previously thought ice melt there was slower than on the disintegrating western peninsula.
“These observations challenge the view of glacier stability in East Antarctica,” the authors write.