ALMOST 40 percent of Antarctic ice ridges have shrunk significantly in the past 25 years, scientists announced today, which the European Space Agency has described as "alarming".

From 1997 to 2021, 71 of Antarctica's 162 ice shelves lost mass, 68 of them "statistically significant," according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science Advances.

The scientists pointed out that the mass loss is greater than normal fluctuations and that this is another proof of how climate change is affecting Antarctica.

"We expected most reefs to go through cycles of rapid but short-term decline, only to slowly grow back. Instead, we see almost half of them shrinking with no sign of recovery," said study lead author Benjamin Davison of the University of Leeds.

Fresh water could change ocean currents

During the observed period, scientists determined that 29 ice ridges gained mass, and 62 did not change significantly.

According to scientists, 48 ice shelves have lost more than 30 percent of their mass in 25 years. A key driver of the melting was ocean currents and winds on the west side of Antarctica, pushing warmer water under the ice ridges.

Ice ridges are floating platforms of ice around Antarctica that help protect and stabilize glaciers by slowing their outflow into the ocean.

Large-scale melting of ice shelves releases fresh water into the ocean, which could affect ocean circulation, according to the European Space Agency, whose satellite radar images were used in the study.

The first findings published last month showed that sea ice around Antarctica was at a record low this winter.

Source: index.hr, 12.10.2023.