A team of researchers used satellite imagery and in situ oceanographic measurements to monitor the Cadman Glacier on the West Antarctic Peninsula for more than 30 years. The observations showed that the ice quickly retreated by 8 kilometers between 2018 and 2021 and the ice shelf completely collapsed.
For everyone who is in a hurry:
- The retreat of the glacier led to the complete collapse of the ice shelf responsible for supporting the landward portion of Cadman.
- The researchers point out that this will lead to greater water loss and therefore sea level rise;
- Other nearby glaciers did not suffer drastic retreat, probably because ocean ridges protect them from warmer water.
The researchers behind the study, published recently in the journal Nature, said in a statement that they were surprised by the speed at which the Cadman Glacier rapidly destabilized and suffered significant ice loss.
They also point out that the glacier has likely retreated since observations began, but the rapid loss over about 2.5 years was due to increased ocean temperatures caused by global warming, which weakened the ice shelf until it eventually collapsed.
The loss of the ice shelf responsible for supporting the onshore portion of Cadman could make matters worse. It is assumed that this will cause the glacier to lose even more water, contributing to sea level rise.
Read more:
Other nearby glaciers
Mountain coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Other glaciers in the region have not suffered drastic ice retreat (Source: Professor Anna Hogg)
The observations also made the researchers aware of other things. The glaciers around Cadman do not appear to have experienced the same drastic retreat, which could provide important information for forecasting how climate change will affect the polar regions.
The hypothesis that high ocean temperatures did not affect these other regions of the West Antarctic Peninsula is that sea ridges may have acted as protective barriers. However, if measures are not taken to reduce global and oceanic warming, the geology may not be sufficient to protect the glaciers.
What this new research shows is that seemingly stable glaciers can change very quickly, becoming unstable almost without warning and then thinning and retreating very sharply. This highlights the need for a comprehensive marine observation network around Antarctica, particularly in regions near glaciers where measurements are particularly difficult.
Michael Meredith, coauthor of the study