Antarctic ice sheet warming faster than thought

Antarctic ice appears to be melting much faster than previously thought, increasing the danger of the eventual flooding of low-lying coastal cities (e.g., Bangkok).

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Antarctic ice sheet warming faster than thought

AFP – The West Antarctic Ice Sheet, whose melt may be responsible for 10 percent of the sea-level rise caused by climate change, is warming twice as quickly as previously thought, a study said Sunday.

A re-analysis of temperature records from 1958 to 2010 revealed an increase of 2.4 degrees Celsius over the period – three times the average global rise.

The increase was nearly double what previous research had suggested, and meant this was one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth, according to paper co-author David Bromwich of the Byrd Polar Research Center.

"Our record suggests that continued summer warming in West Antarctica could upset the surface balance of the ice sheet, so that the region could make an even bigger contribution to sea-level rise than it already does," he said.

Scientists believe the shrinking of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is responsible for about 10 percent of global warming-related sea-level rise, which if unchecked threatens to flood many coastal cities within a few generations.

The sheet, a huge mass of ice up to four kilometres thick that covers the land surface and stretches into the sea, is melting faster than any other part of Antarctica.

Data records kept at Byrd Station in the central West Antarctic had been incomplete.

Since being established in 1957, the research station has not been consistently occupied and has seen frequent power outages, especially during the long polar night, when its solar panels cannot recharge.

Bromwich and a team from several US-based research institutions used weather data from different sources to plug holes in the Byrd data and corrected calibration errors.

The updated log was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

sheet – a wide flat area of something, covering the surface of something else, in this case, ice  สิ่งที่เป็นแผ่นแบน
melt – a period of warmer weather causing snow and ice to turn to water การละลาย
responsible for – to cause something to happen ก่อให้เกิด
climate – the general weather conditions usually found in a particular place สภาพอากาศ , อากาศ, ภูมิอากาศ
analysis – the detailed study or examination of something in order to understand more about it; the result of the study  การวิเคราะห์
record – a written account of something that is kept so that it can be looked at and used in the future การบันทึก, รายงาน
reveal – to show something that was covered, hidden or not known เปิดเผย ทำให้ปรากฎ
average – an amount calculated by adding several amounts together, finding a total, and dividing the total by the number of amounts เฉลี่ย, ค่าเฉลี่ย
global – throughout the world ทั่วโลก
double – twice as big, twice as much or twice as many สองเท่า
research – a careful study of a subject, especially in order to discover new facts or information about it การวิจัย
polar – connected with, or near the North or South Pole เกี่ยวกับขั้วโลก
upset – to change the usual or expected state or order of something, especially in a way which stops it from happening or working ทำให้ไม่ปกติ
surface – the outside or top layer of something  ผิวหน้า, ผิวภายนอก, ด้านนอก
balance – a stable condition/relationship between two sides  ความสมดุล, การทรงตัว
contribution – an action or a service that helps to cause or increase something
sea level – the height of the land at the edge of the sea the average height of the sea/ocean, used as the basis for measuring the height of all places on land  ระดับน้ำทะเล
shrink – to become smaller, or to make something smaller หดตัว, เล็กลง
unchecked – not controlled or stopped from getting worse ไม่ได้ถูกควบคุม
threaten – to be likely to harm or destroy something เป็นลางร้าย
coastal – of an area of land beside the sea แนวชายฝั่งทะเล
generation – a group of people in society who are born and live around the same time รุ่น (คนรุ่นต่างๆ)
mass – a large amount of something ปริมาณมาก
stretch – to cause something to reach, often as far as possible, in a particular direction ขยายออก, ยืดออก
data  – facts or information, especially when examined and used to find out things or to make decisions ข้อมูล, ตัวเลข, สถิติ
establish – to start a company, organisation, fund, etc. that will likely continue for a long time สถาปนา, ก่อตั้ง, จัดตั้ง
consistently – happening in the same way and continuing for a period of time ไม่ขาดสาย
occupy – to work or live on a piece of land อาศัยอยู่ใน, ครอบครอง
frequent – happening often เกิดขึ้นบ่อย
outage – power cut ช่วงเวลาที่ไม่มีกระแสไฟฟ้า
solar panel – a piece of equipment on a roof that uses light and heat energy from the sun to produce hot water and electricity แผงเซลล์แสงอาทิตย์
source – a place where information comes from; someone who gives information แหล่ง
plug – to fill a hole with a piece of suitable material; to correct a problem อุดรู, ปิดรู
calibration – the process of making sure equipment used for measurements does so correctly การเทียบมาตรฐาน
log – an official record of events during a particular period of time  บันทึกข้อมูล
journal – a newspaper or magazine that deals with a particular subject or profession นิตยสาร, วารสาร