Satellites monitoring the state of the White Continent indicate some 200 billion tonnes a year are now being lost to the ocean as a result of melting.
This is pushing up global sea levels by 0.6mm annually - a three-fold increase since 2012 when the last such assessment was undertaken.
Scientists report the new numbers in the journal Nature.
Governments will need to take account of the information and its accelerating trend as they plan future defences to protect low-lying coastal communities.
The researchers say the losses are occurring predominantly in the West of the continent, where warm waters are getting under and melting the fronts of glaciers that terminate in the ocean.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44470208
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0179-y
See also: Ars Technica, Phys Org and University of Leeds.
(Score: 3, Informative) by julian on Thursday June 14 2018, @06:17PM (5 children)
There are still some dead-enders making that false claim, no doubt emboldened by the president's asinine declaration that climate change is a Chinese hoax, but many have moved on to weaker arguments. They now say that climate change is happening, but humans aren't the primary cause. Or that humans are the cause, but it won't be so bad, maybe even beneficial! Or they say that the science is inconclusive, and doing anything about it now is too hasty. Or, it's happening and it'll be bad but the economic cost of mitigation would be even worse.
(Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 14 2018, @06:23PM (1 child)
The Earth is flat so if sea levels do rise it will just overflow off the edge. It's true, Hillary said so during her presidential race.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 17 2018, @04:31AM
Everyone needs to put more ice in they're drinks. http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=69985 [landoverbaptist.net]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday June 14 2018, @11:10PM (2 children)
When the President of the US also says it you no longer get to claim it's a fringe view.
(Score: 4, Funny) by NewNic on Friday June 15 2018, @12:11AM
But you do get to claim it is the view held by bigoted idiots.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by gawdonblue on Friday June 15 2018, @08:48AM
Well it is one hell of a fringe, even if it is yellow.