Antarctica is rapidly shedding ice, a loss that contributes to rising seas.
Research demonstrates that human-induced global climate change and warming ocean temperatures are the main culprits behind the ice loss. But the rate of ice loss and how much it may raise global sea levels remain uncertain.
Pierre Dutrieux, an oceanographer and assistant research professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, received funding from Columbia University’s Center for Climate and Life for a project that will resolve some of this uncertainty. Named a Center Fellow in 2019, Dutrieux uses new data and methods to examine the thinning and melting of the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The results of his research will enable the scientific community to better project the future stability of the ice sheet and associated sea level rise.
What’s the focus of your research?
In climate science, a main issue with imminent, global repercussions is sea level rise, of which the eustatic component—that related to land ice flowing into the ocean—is an important contributor. Acceleration of West Antarctic glaciers flowing into the Southern Ocean alone contributes roughly 10 percent of current sea level rise. Our lack of understanding of the processes at play constitutes the lion’s share of the global sea level rise uncertainty going into the future.
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Image via Columbia University Earth Institute
