Dynamics of the ice mass in Antarctica in the time of warming

V. M. Kotlyakov; A. F. Glazovsky; M. Yu. Moskalevsky

doi:10.15356/2076-6734-2017-2-149-169

Dynamics of the ice mass in Antarctica in the time of warming

V. M. Kotlyakov, A. F. Glazovsky, M. Yu. Moskalevsky

https://doi.org/10.15356/2076-6734-2017-2-149-169

Full Text:

Abstract

The modern age of global warming affect the general state of the Antarctic ice sheet and its mass balance. Studies of the Southern polar region of the Earth during the International Geophysical Year (1957–1958) called the assumption of growth in the modern ice mass in East Antarctica. However, with the development of new methods, this conclusion has been questioned. At the turn of the century the study of global processes Earth started to use the satellite radar or laser altimetry and satellite gravimetry, which allows determining change of different masses on the Earth, including ice bodies. From the beginning of the XXI century, these methods have been used to calculate the continental ice balance. In our study, we analyze different data of recent years, supporting the earlier conclusion on continued growth of the ice mass in East Antarctica. How‑ ever, in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, on the contrary, there is increased loss of ice, leveling the increased income of ice mass of in the Central Antarctica. So all in all in the modern era of global warm‑ ing, the ice mass in Antarctica appears to be decreasing despite some growth of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Fluctuations of land ice mass reflect in the sea level variations, but in comparison with the scale of the Ant‑ arctic ice sheet its contribution to sea‑level rise is not so significant. The main reason for this is that the mass accumulation in East Antarctica with significant probability prevails over the ice outflow.

Keywords

Antarctica, drainage basins, glacier mass balance, global warming, growth of ice mass, ice sheet, sea level,

About the Authors

V. M. Kotlyakov

Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Moscow

A. F. Glazovsky

Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Moscow

M. Yu. Moskalevsky

Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Moscow

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For citation: Kotlyakov V.M., Glazovsky A.F., Moskalevsky M.Y. Dynamics of the ice mass in Antarctica in the time of warming. Ice and Snow. 2017;57(2):149-169. https://doi.org/10.15356/2076-6734-2017-2-149-169

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