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Credit: Michael Weber
Global sea level rise associated with the possible collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has been significantly underestimated in previous studies, meaning sea level in a warming world will be greater than anticipated, according to a new study from Harvard researchers.
The report, published in
Science Advances, features new calculations for what researchers refer to as a water expulsion mechanism. This occurs when the solid bedrock the West Antarctic Ice Sheet sits on rebounds upward as the ice melts and the total weight of the ice sheet decreases. The bedrock sits below sea level so when it lifts, it pushes water from the surrounding area into the ocean, adding to global sea level rise.
Over 1,000 years sea levels could rise by 10ft if the Antarctic ice sheet melts
Researchers monitored the movement of bedrock in the Earth s mantle layer
They found that slow moving bedrock would push more water into the ocean
This would happen as the ice melted causing bedrock under the ice to bounce
This process would add another 3ft on to global sea level increases by 3020