Antarctic ice melting will increase sea-level by 2.5m irrespective of Paris goals: Study

In an alarming update to global warming, a recent study has revealed that the melting Antarctic ice sheet will end up increasing the sea levels by at least two and a half metres even if the goals of 2015 Paris Accord are met by countries.

Researchers have said that Antarctica is “committed to becoming virtually ice-free” and in some instance, these losses will gradually become irreversible leading to the disappearance of many coastal cities and cultural heritage sites. 

Researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam University and Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have said in their study published in the journal Nature calculated how much increase in the Earth’s temperature can the Antarctic ice sheet survive. After which they concluded that in case the nations fail to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, the long-term sea-level contribution by Antarctica will exceed that from all the other sources.

The study said, “In particular, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet does not regrow to its modern extent until temperatures are at least one degree Celsius lower than pre-industrial levels. Our results show that if the Paris Agreement is not met, Antarctica’s long-term sea-level contribution will dramatically increase and exceed that of all other sources.”

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Greenland ice sheet melted at record rate in 2019

Meanwhile, scientists have previously said that the loss of ice in Greenland, the largest contributor to the rise in sea level, occurred at a record rate in 2019, surpassing the previous values by 15 percent.

A separate analysis published in the journal Nature states that the scale at which glaciers are melting is ‘unprecedented’ as per records dating as back as 1948. The immediate cause of such huge loss, explained by the researchers, is the high-pressure systems that became blocked over Greenland last summer. 

The melt was so massive that it would be just enough to cover entire California in more than four feet of water. Two years after the Greenland ice sheet melted at a minimal rate, it broke all records last summer with 586 billion tons (532 billion metric tons) of ice melting which is more than 140 trillion gallons (532 trillion litres) of water.

Read - Greenland Ice Sheet Melted At Record Rate In 2019 Due To Spike In Emissions: Study

Read - Greenland's Ice Sheet Would Continue To Melt Even If Global Warming Stops: Research

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