The effects of climate change in Antarctica are increasingly resembling those observed in Greenland, particularly with accelerated melting and glacial movements towards the ocean.
Danish researchers warn that these effects are likely to have detrimental impacts on sea level rise.
“Antarctica was long considered more stable than the Arctic, but today the situation has changed: sea ice is disappearing, temperatures are rising here as well, ice currents are accelerating, and meltwater is entering cracks in glaciers, causing them to slide more rapidly into the ocean,” noted scientist Ruth Mottram from the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) in a statement.
The study observes that “the Antarctic cryosphere reflects a dynamic environment strongly influenced by regional changes in the atmosphere and ocean, more similar to Greenland than previously recognized.”
“This is concerning, as the ice masses in the south pose a dramatic potential regarding sea level rise in our northern regions,” explained the researcher, who authored an article on the “Greenlandification of Antarctica” published in the journal “Nature Geoscience.”
The conclusions of this study, based on satellite data and climate models, introduce the concept of “Greenlandification” to analyze the changes occurring in Antarctica through phenomena already well-documented in Greenland.
“We are using Greenland’s experiences as a laboratory to understand the same processes in Antarctica,” Ms. Mottram emphasized.
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