A spectacular 4-minute video of a calving event for ice the area of Manhattan, but taller.
Areas of glacier retreat (red arrows) and advance (blue)
Topographic map of Antarctica's bedrock.
Antarctica holds about 90% of the ice on Earth, almost 10% in West Antarctica (including 1% in the Antarctic Peninsula) and some 80% in East Antarctica (in right half of circle below). West Antarctica's ice, if melted, would raise sea level ~5 meters (16 feet). If all of East Antarctica's ice melted, it would raise sea level another ~55 meters (180 feet). Until 40 million years ago, Antarctica had no ice and sea levels were far higher than now.
Glaciation in Antarctica began 39 million years (MY) ago. It was largely complete by 34 MY ago. Antarctic ice has waxed and waned some since then, but has been generally similar to the amount today.
In recent years, ice shelf breakup has concentrated on the Antarctic Peninsula (upper left). But ice loss from retreating glaciers in West Antarctica (in left half of circle) has begun.
Roughly 2/3 of West Antarctica's ice is grounded below sea level. But so is some 1/3 of East Antarctica’s, more than half in the Wilkes and Aurora Basins (“southeast” quadrant), toward Australia and New Zealand. That’s more square miles in the East than the West.
Map by Paul V. Heinrich, data from BEDMAP Consortium (European Ice Sheet Modelling Initiative, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research)
Antarctic Ice Melt Related to Tropical Weather Shifts – a Game Changer? 0420.rtf
- 2.3 trillion tonnes in 15 years
if we continue current emissions rate
if Paris committments are met & world warms only 2°C
Section Map: Ice