Catastrophic collapse of West Antarctic ice sheet could raise global sea levels by three metres, warns scientist

Climate change and the hole in the ozone layer could cause “a catastrophic collapse” of the vast amount of ice on west Antarctica, raising sea levels by 3.3 metres, a leading scientist has warned.

Following the calving of one of the largest icebergs ever known – about a quarter the size of Wales and weighing a trillion tonnes – Professor Nancy Bertler, of the Antarctic Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington, said global warming and the hole in the ozone layer had caused the sudden break-up of “numerous ice shelves” in the region “some of which have been shown to have existed for 10,000 years or more”.

While these do not add to sea levels, their removal can significantly increase the speed of land ice flowing into the sea.

And that process, Professor Bertler warned, could have serious effects on the planet.

Full story at http://ind.pn/2uSESmS

Source: Independent

 

 

 

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