Slowdown in Antarctic mass loss from solid Earth and sea-level feedbacks
Abstract
Geodetic investigations of crustal motions in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica and models of ice-sheet evolution in the past 10,000 years have recently highlighted the stabilizing role of solid-Earth uplift on polar ice sheets. One critical aspect, however, that has not been assessed is the impact of short-wavelength uplift generated by the solid-Earth response to unloading over short time scales close to ice-sheet grounding lines (areas where the ice becomes afloat). Here, we present a new global simulation of Antarctic evolution at high spatiotemporal resolution that captures all solid Earth processes that affect ice sheets and show a projected negative feedback in grounding line migration of 38% for Thwaites Glacier 350 years in the future, or 26.8% reduction in corresponding sea-level contribution.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- June 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.aav7908
- Bibcode:
- 2019Sci...364.7908L
- Keywords:
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- ATMOS, GEOCHEM PHYS, ONLINE