New research suggests that rapid melting of West Antarctica's ice shelves is likely inevitable due to human-caused global warming, even if ambitious climate targets are met.
The study, published in Nature Climate Change, reveals that even under the best-case scenarios of limiting global temperature rise, substantial ocean warming and ice shelf melting in West Antarctica will occur. Ice shelves play a crucial role in preventing sea level rise by holding back land ice, but their melting weakens this defense. The study focused on "basal melting," caused by warm ocean currents eroding ice from below, and found that even significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would have limited power to prevent the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet. West Antarctica is already the largest contributor to global sea level rise, with the potential to raise sea levels significantly.
The study highlights the seriousness of the situation, but it also underscores the need to continue efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions to mitigate other climate impacts globally.
Written by Paula Guerrero
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