Study Shows Antarctic Sea Ice Loss Fuels Ice Shelf Collapse

(MENAFN) A new Australian study has unveiled a direct connection between the rapid decline of Antarctic sea ice and the collapse of the continent's ice shelves, offering new insights into how shrinking sea ice accelerates fractures. The research, led by teams from the Universities of Melbourne and Adelaide, tracked sea ice conditions, ocean swells, and ice shelf dynamics for several years ahead of three major calving events.

Findings show a consistent pattern of sea ice retreat 6-18 months before the catastrophic break-offs, and the collapse of crucial "landfast" ice weeks prior to the calving itself, as reported in a press release from the University of Melbourne on Tuesday.

The research team developed advanced mathematical models that quantify how Southern Ocean swells contribute to the flexing of weakened ice shelves as sea ice disappears. "Sea ice is retreating at an unprecedented rate all around Antarctica and our work suggests this will put further pressure on already thinned and weakened ice shelves," stated Professor Luke Bennetts from the University of Melbourne.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet, which could contribute more than 50 meters to sea level rise, serves as a critical barrier, slowing the flow of glaciers. However, with sea ice vanishing at an alarming pace, these protective ice shelves are under increasing strain, elevating the risk of significant global sea-level rise, the study published in Nature Geoscience warns.

Due to the lack of regular monitoring of ocean waves in the Antarctic region, the team relied on mathematical models to establish the connection between sea ice loss, ocean swells, and ice shelf deterioration.

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