Measurements of Time-Variable Gravity Show Mass Loss in Antarctica
Abstract
Using measurements of time-variable gravity from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, we determined mass variations of the Antarctic ice sheet during 2002-2005. We found that the mass of the ice sheet decreased significantly, at a rate of 152 +/- 80 cubic kilometers of ice per year, which is equivalent to 0.4 +/- 0.2 millimeters of global sea-level rise per year. Most of this mass loss came from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
- Publication:
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Science
- Pub Date:
- March 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.1123785
- Bibcode:
- 2006Sci...311.1754V
- Keywords:
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- ATMOS