Scientists Warn Future , Sea Level Rise , May Be Worse Than Current Projections.
CNN reports that scientists have discovered that the , Antarctic ice sheet is melting , in a new, concerning way.
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According to a new study, current projections , may be significantly underestimating , future sea level rise.
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The ice sheet's "grounding line" is the point at which ice rises from the seabed and begins to float.
Warm ocean water is seeping beneath this grounding line and causing accelerated melting which could push the process to a tipping point.
The team's findings were published in the journal 'Nature Geoscience.'.
CNN reports that a tipping point is defined as a threshold at which small changes accumulate, pushing a system beyond the point of no return.
The new study found that even a small increase in ocean temperatures can have a significant impact on the speed of melting.
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You get this kind of runaway feedback, where you can have a very sudden shift in how much melting is happening in these places, Alex Bradley, Ice dynamics researcher at BAS and lead author of the paper, via CNN.
Alex Bradley, an ice dynamics researcher at BAS and lead author of the paper, suggests , “our projections of sea level rise might be significant underestimates.".
According to the study, the implications would be noticeable immediately, with higher sea levels threatening coastal areas around the world.
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According to the study, the implications would be noticeable immediately, with higher sea levels threatening coastal areas around the world.
