In a recent study, scientists have observed that climate change has not affected all the glaciers in Antarctica. The scientists examined 34 important glaciers during this study.
The glaciers located in the western Ross Sea coast are not showing any impacts of the climate change. Notably, in other parts of Antarctica, the impacts are quite visible. The scientists from the Portland State University and the NSIDC at the famous University of Colorado Boulder have performed this recent study. NSIDC is the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
The study is available in the popular journal Geology. The scientists found no changes in the advancement and the retreat of the glaciers located in the western Ross Sea coast. On the contrary, glaciers of other parts of Antarctica are shrinking speedily due to the climate change.
A key region that unveils diverse and complex ocean ecosystem in Antarctica is the western Ross Sea. The region is the destination of many research stations. The U.S. Antarctic research center the McMurdo Station is the largest one among these research stations. The scientists compiled important satellite images and the historic maps of the past half- century to study the impacts of climate change on the glaciers.
The research team observed minutely the satellite images consists of the last half-century to analyze the activities of the glaciers. The researchers observed the coastline spread over 700 kilometers to examine the glacier activities, Phys.org reported. The satellites of the NASA-USGS Landsat series became very useful during this study, especially the Landsat 8. The researchers observed 34 big glaciers and examined in detail the effects of climate change.
The scientists minutely examined the calving events, the ice flow, and the extent of these 34 glaciers. The calving events indicate the formation of the icebergs. The research study showed the advances and the retreats of every glacier, but overall no pattern was visible over time or with the latitude. The outcomes of the study suggest minimal changes in the glaciers due to climate change.
The last-half century showed minimal changes in the response of the glaciers to the climate that includes air temperature, ocean temperature, and snowfall. The previous work that includes the documenting of the collapse of the ice shelf and the retreat of the glacier mainly motivated the current study. The said collapse of the ice shelf in the past work was visible along the Antarctic Peninsula's coastline. Also, the impacts of the climate changes were acute with the separation of a huge iceberg from the vital Larsen C Ice Shelf.
The recent study was part of the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Science Foundation study. Previous studies documented minimal changes in the western Ross coastline due to the climate change. The new study has extended this past analysis to the current time.
