A paper by the journal Nature Geoscience found that the temperature in the middle of West Antarctica has increased by 2.4℃ since 1958 – roughly twice as much as scientists previously thought. This makes central West Antarctica one of the fastest – warming regions on earth. The discovery worries scientists as the huge ice sheet there may be in danger of collapsing,possibly with drastic effects on sea level.
Warming in Antarctica is a relative concept. West Antarctica is still an extremely cold place . The average temperature in the center of the ice sheet is 45℃ below freezing. However,the temperature does sometimes rise above freezing in the summer. The new research shows that it might be happening more often,potentially melting the surface and weakening the ice sheet. The ice sheet is already in danger at the edges due to warmer ocean water. The long-term collapse of the edges due to warmer.
The long-term collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet is one of the effects of global warming. Scientists say a breakup of the ice sheet,over several hundred years,could raise global sea levels by more than 3.3 meters.
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