OSLO: Britain and the United States introduced a $25 million project on Monday to study the risks of a cave in of a giant glacier in Antarctica that is already shrinking and nudging up global sea levels.
The five-year research, involving 100 scientists, would be the two international locations' largest joint scientific project in Antarctica for the reason that 1940s. Ice is thawing from Greenland to Antarctica and man-made global warming is accelerating the craze.
The scientists would study the Thwaites Glacier, which is roughly the dimensions of Florida or Britain, in West Antarctica, the UK Natural Environment Research Council and US National Science Foundation mentioned in a joint statement.
"Rising sea levels are a globally important issue which cannot be tackled by one country alone," UK science minister Sam Gyimah mentioned. Thwaites and the within sight Pine Island Glacier are two of the largest and fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica.
If both hastily collapsed, permitting ice far inland to drift sooner into the oceans, global sea levels may upward push by way of greater than a metre (three toes), threatening towns from Shanghai to San Francisco and low-lying coastal areas.
The scientists would deploy planes, scorching water drills, satellite tv for pc measurements, ships and robotic submarines to some of the remotest portions of the planet to peer "whether the glacier's collapse could begin in the next few decades or centuries," the statement mentioned.
Despite satellites, "there are still many aspects of the ice and ocean that cannot be determined from space," mentioned Ted Scambos, of the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the lead US scientific coordinator.
Other scientists from South Korea, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand and Finland would additionally give a contribution. The United States is keeping up research despite the fact that US President Donald Trump doubts mainstream scientific findings that human activities, led by way of the burning of fossil fuels, are the primary purpose of world warming.
The five-year research, involving 100 scientists, would be the two international locations' largest joint scientific project in Antarctica for the reason that 1940s. Ice is thawing from Greenland to Antarctica and man-made global warming is accelerating the craze.
The scientists would study the Thwaites Glacier, which is roughly the dimensions of Florida or Britain, in West Antarctica, the UK Natural Environment Research Council and US National Science Foundation mentioned in a joint statement.
"Rising sea levels are a globally important issue which cannot be tackled by one country alone," UK science minister Sam Gyimah mentioned. Thwaites and the within sight Pine Island Glacier are two of the largest and fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica.
If both hastily collapsed, permitting ice far inland to drift sooner into the oceans, global sea levels may upward push by way of greater than a metre (three toes), threatening towns from Shanghai to San Francisco and low-lying coastal areas.
The scientists would deploy planes, scorching water drills, satellite tv for pc measurements, ships and robotic submarines to some of the remotest portions of the planet to peer "whether the glacier's collapse could begin in the next few decades or centuries," the statement mentioned.
Despite satellites, "there are still many aspects of the ice and ocean that cannot be determined from space," mentioned Ted Scambos, of the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the lead US scientific coordinator.
Other scientists from South Korea, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand and Finland would additionally give a contribution. The United States is keeping up research despite the fact that US President Donald Trump doubts mainstream scientific findings that human activities, led by way of the burning of fossil fuels, are the primary purpose of world warming.
UK, US study Antarctic glacier, hoping to crack sea level risks
![UK, US study Antarctic glacier, hoping to crack sea level risks]()
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April 30, 2018
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