Study Reveals Rising Surface Melting in West Antarctic Ice Shelves Due to Climate Shifts

A groundbreaking study published in Communications Earth & Environment has revealed a dramatic increase in surface melting across West Antarctic ice shelves over the last two decades, shedding light on the atmospheric factors behind this alarming trend.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Led by Prof. Pranab Deb of the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL) at IIT Kharagpur, in collaboration with leading atmospheric scientists including David Bromwich from the Byrd Center's Polar Meteorology Group, the research provides critical insights into the climatic forces driving this transformation.

Utilizing satellite data and regional climate model outputs, the study compares two distinct periods—1979 to 1998 and 1999 to 2018—to understand the underlying causes of the accelerated melting of polar ice. The findings indicate that while the earlier period saw a decrease in melting trends, the latter period marked a significant reversal, particularly affecting major ice shelves in the Ross Amundsen Sea sector.