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Scientists have discovered a new tipping point toward"runaway melting" of Antarctic ice sheets, caused by warm ocean water intruding between the ice and the land it sits on, according to a study published on Tuesday.
"Increases in ocean temperature can lead to a tipping point being passed, beyond which ocean water intrudes in an unbounded manner beneath the ice sheet, via a process of runaway melting," the study said.Previous studies have shown that warm seawater is seeping into the"grounding zone" – where land and ice meet – and further inland from under the floating ice.
"Every 10th of a degree makes these kind of processes closer, these tipping points closer," said Bradley, a researcher with the British Antarctic Survey. Some areas of Antarctica are more vulnerable to this process than others due to the shape of the land mass, which has valleys and cavities where sea water can pool beneath the ice., currently Antarctica's largest contributor to sea-level rise, is at high risk of melting due to the slope of the land that allows in more sea water, the study said.
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