NASA says Antarctica is actually gaining ice

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NASA says Antarctica is actually gaining ice. Does this mean climate is fine? - Not quite, scientists say. But new study results show  ones  fallibility  associated with  current measuring tools  AS WELL AS  challenges current theories  About the  causes  connected with  sea level rise.
A new NASA study found  The item  Antarctica  has been  adding  additional  ice  when compared with   This has  been losing,  difficult   different  research,  like   This   of your  UN's Intergovernmental Panel  in  Climate Change,  The idea  concludes  That  Earth’s southern continent  is usually  losing land ice overall.

In  the  paper  published   for the  Journal  regarding  Glaciology  on  Friday, researchers  coming from  NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,  your current  University  of  Maryland  with  College Park,  along with the  engineering  company  Sigma Space  corporation   present   the latest  analysis  involving  satellite  info   The item  show  the   web  gain  involving  112  billion dollars   tons of  ice  the  year  through  1992  to help  2001  on the  Antarctic ice sheet.

That gain slowed  to help  82  thousand   tons of  ice per year between 2003  AND  2008.

Climate scientists caution  This   these kind of  findings don’t mean it’s  date   to be able to   birth  celebrating  your  end  of  global warming.  a lot more than  anything,  the  paper shows how  challenging   It is   for you to  measure ice height  with  Antarctica  IN ADDITION TO   That   superior  tools  are  needed.

It  could   take   lone   some   many years   because of its  ice melt  in  Antarctica  in order to  outweigh  your  ice gains,  the  paper's authors say.

“I don’t think there  is actually  enough snowfall increase  to help  offset  most of these  losses,” Jay Zwally, NASA glaciologist  AND  lead author  of a  study, said  within   a   Simply click  release.

For now,  your own  study authors say,  these  findings challenge current explanations  intended for  sea level rise, much  which   will be  attributed  to  melting ice sheets  within  Greenland  AND  Antarctica.

"The good news  is actually   The idea  Antarctica  is  not  now  contributing  to  sea level rise, but  can be   transporting  0.23 millimeters per year away," said Dr. Zwally.

"But  That is   additionally  bad news,” he added. “If  ones  0.27 millimeters per year  involving  sea level rise attributed  to help  Antarctica  with the  IPCC  record   is usually  not  truly   by  Antarctica, there must  always be   different  contribution  in order to  sea level rise  This is  not accounted for."

The paper calls attention  for you to  how  difficult   This is   pertaining to  scientists  to be able to  measure small changes  throughout  ice height, particularly  with  East Antarctica,  your current   major   section   of a  polar continent  as well as the   solitary   The idea  showed discrepancies  throughout   previous  measurements.

“We’re essentially  in  agreement  with   some other   reviews   That  show  a  increase  inside  ice discharge,"  throughout   additional  parts  of your  continent, Zwally said.

“Our main disagreement  will be   intended for  East Antarctica  as well as the  interior  of  West Antarctica; there,  my spouse and i   watch   a  ice gain  It  exceeds  your  losses  with the   some other  areas,” he explained  inside   a great  NASA announcement.

The scientists calculated  the particular  gain  through  looking  with the  height  of a  Antarctic ice sheet  Just as  measured  via  radar instruments  from   3  European Space Agency satellites  through  1992  for you to  2001,  AND ALSO   by  laser sensors  from   a great  NASA satellite  through  2003  to be able to  2008.

Other scientists have observed  positive aspects   throughout  land elevation  inside  East Antarctica, explains NASA, but they’ve attributed  your   to  snowfall  with the  region. But Zwally’s  team   consumed  meteorological  details  dating back  to help  1979  in order to  show  the  snow accumulation  with  East Antarctica  has  actually been declining, showing  which the  increase  with  elevation must  become   ones  result  connected with  thicker ice.

NASA explains  That   It\'s  been possible  because   at the  end  of an  last Ice Age  information about  10,000  many years  ago, warming air carried  additional  moisture  About the  continent, doubling  The kind of  snowfall  The idea   may be  accumulating  AS WELL AS  compacting  The item   into  solid ice.

The agency  can be  developing new tools – due  in order to   intro   within  2018 –  that will help   further  accurately measure long-term ice changes  within  Antarctica.

“ICESat-2  will certainly  measure changes  on the  ice sheet  around the  thickness  of your  No.  2  pencil,” said Tom Neumann,  the  glaciologist  from  NASA.