Antarctic glaciers surge to ocean
New evidence from a group of Antarctic glaciers covering an area the size of Texas, in a remote and seldom visited part of West Antarctica, shows "rivers of ice" surging sharply in speed towards the ocean.
Satellite measurements have shown that three huge glaciers here have been speeding up for more than a decade. The Pine Island Glacier is causing the most concern as it puts more ice into the sea than any other glacier in Antarctica.
If the glacier does continue to surge and discharge most of it ice into the sea, say the researchers, the Pine Island Glacier alone could raise global sea level by 25cm. But neighbouring glaciers are accelerating too and if the entire region were to lose its ice, the sea would rise by 1.5m worldwide.
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