Antarctic Ice Sheet Melting Rapidly

[Eugene]

Antarctic Ice Sheet Melting Rapidly
New Study Warns Of Rising Sea Level

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 3, 2006; Page A01

The Antarctic ice sheet is losing as much as 36 cubic miles of ice a year in a trend
that scientists link to global warming, according to a new paper that provides the first
evidence that the sheet's total mass is shrinking significantly.

The new findings, which are being published today in the journal Science, suggest that global
sea level could rise substantially over the next several centuries.

It is one of a slew of scientific papers in recent weeks that have sought to gauge the impact
of climate change on the world's oceans and lakes.

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The new Antarctic measurements, using data from two NASA satellites called the Gravity Recovery
and Climate Experiment (GRACE), found that the amount of water pouring annually from the ice sheet
into the ocean -- equivalent to the amount of water the United States uses in three months --
is causing global sea level to rise by 0.4 millimeters a year. The continent holds 90 percent
of the world's ice, and the disappearance of even its smaller West Antarctic ice sheet could raise
worldwide sea levels by an estimated 20 feet.

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Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/02/AR2006030201712.html