4.22.2005
Antarctic Glaciers Show Retreat (news.BBC.co.uk)
The glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula are in rapid retreat.
By Jonathan Amos
BBC News science reporter
A detailed study reported in Science magazine shows nearly 90% of the ice bodies streaming down from the mountains to the ocean are losing mass.
But the authors - a joint team from the British-Antarctic and US-Geological Surveys - say the big melt could have a number of complex causes.
Although higher air temperatures are a factor, they say, the full picture may go beyond just simple global warming.
This study demonstrates the enormous importance of gathering long-term data
Dr Andrew Sugden, Science magazine,
"The overall picture is of glaciers retreating in a pattern that suggests the most important factor is atmospheric warming; we can connect the retreat with the observed warming recorded at climate stations along the peninsula," explained Dr David Vaughan, from the British Antarctic Survey (Bas).
"But it's not a perfect fit; there seem to be other factors involved as well - possibly to do with changing ocean currents and temperatures," he told BBC News.
(More ..BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Antarctic glaciers show retreat) ¶ 13:49
By Jonathan Amos
BBC News science reporter
A detailed study reported in Science magazine shows nearly 90% of the ice bodies streaming down from the mountains to the ocean are losing mass.
But the authors - a joint team from the British-Antarctic and US-Geological Surveys - say the big melt could have a number of complex causes.
Although higher air temperatures are a factor, they say, the full picture may go beyond just simple global warming.
This study demonstrates the enormous importance of gathering long-term data
Dr Andrew Sugden, Science magazine,
"The overall picture is of glaciers retreating in a pattern that suggests the most important factor is atmospheric warming; we can connect the retreat with the observed warming recorded at climate stations along the peninsula," explained Dr David Vaughan, from the British Antarctic Survey (Bas).
"But it's not a perfect fit; there seem to be other factors involved as well - possibly to do with changing ocean currents and temperatures," he told BBC News.
(More ..BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Antarctic glaciers show retreat) ¶ 13:49
