Antarctic glaciers melting twice fast than previous estimate

SYDNEY, July 8: Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found that the warm water currents are forcing the Antarctic ice to melt twice the previously thought rate.

The warm water currents, driven by shifting winds, can be 4 degrees warmer than the cold water it displaces.

"What you usually have is cold water sitting next to the ice shelves at about minus 2 degrees Celsius and then warm water further out," Paul Spence from the Climate Change Research Center at UNSW told the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC).

"We found by using projected wind forces to the end of this century that warm waters tend to flood onshore, right next to the grounding lines of the glacial ice sheets.

"It could lead to a massive increase in the rate of ice sheet melt, with direct consequences for global sea level rise."