The Amundsen Sea Embayment in West Antarctica has lost more than 3,000 billion tones of ice over a 25 years period, according to a research report by the University of Leeds.
The research calculated the “mass balance” of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, which has been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
The research indicated a net decline of 3,331 billion tones of ice between 1996 to 2021, which contribute more than 9 milimeters to global sea level.
There are 20 major glaciers in the Amundsen Sea Embayment which covers more than four times the surface area of the UK. According to the research, if the glaciers are to fully melt, it would lead to a rise of sea levels by more than a metre as it holds so much water in its snow and ice.
The Amundsen Sea Embayment explains the “balance between mass of snow and ice gain due to snowfall and mass lost through calving, where icebergs form at the end of a glacier and drift out to sea”.
Dr Benjamin Davison, who headed the research, warned there is “no sign that the process is going to reverse anytime soon” – but there were “periods where the rate of mass loss did ease slightly”.
Davison said that the scientists are monitoring what is happening in the Amundsen Sea Embayment since it plays a crucial role in sea-level rise.
“If ocean levels were to rise significantly in future years, there are communities around the world who would experience extreme flooding,” he further said.
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