West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse is under way

[GenesisNemesis]

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds enough water to raise global seas by several feet, is thinning. Scientists have been warning of its collapse, based on theories, but with few firm predictions or timelines.

University of Washington researchers used detailed topography maps and computer modeling to show that the collapse appears to have already begun. The fast-moving Thwaites Glacier will likely disappear in a matter of centuries, researchers say, raising sea level by nearly 2 feet. That glacier also acts as a linchpin on the rest of the ice sheet, which contains enough ice to cause another 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) of global sea level rise. The study is published May 16 in Science. (A separate study, to be published in Geophysical Research Letters, comes to a similar conclusion.)

Link.

Yay. We have accomplished... nothing.

 

[repoman]

I do think that the timeline that is given makes a lot of common sense given that the ice age ended in this time range as well.

What I notice is that many of the skeptics use a simple melting model of slabs of ice to show that it will take forever to melt these glaciers. They also don't talk about how fast the ice sheets melted 15k years ago. Yes the cause was different - Milankovitch cycles vs CO2 emissions - but the solid slab melting should not have gone that fast then. Therefore the solid slab model is not accurate.

Holy Christ, the commenter johnstclair is either a masterful troll or is deeply schizophrenic/schizoaffective.

 

[Earl IV]

Estimated 2ft rise over "centuries"?

I'll be sure and leave a note for my great-great-great-great-great-great-great (enough?) grandchildren to consider moving inland.

 

[repoman]

that is just the rise from one small part of Antarctica, it doesn't include Greenland or anything else. This seems to be very professional research.