Ocean levels rising; Antarctica melting faster

Antarctica is losing ice 75% faster than it was 10 years ago, according to a study by UCI and NASA scientists to be published next month.

The study, led by UCI Earth system science professor Eric Rignot, used 15 years of radar data from European, Canadian and Japanese satellites. Scientists detected a sharp jump in ice loss in West Antarctica’s Pine Island Bay area and the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The frozen continent is thinning, and parts are collapsing because of warmer ocean waters bathing its floating glaciers, researchers said.

In 1996, the world’s ocean level was rising .3 millimeters a year. In 2006 oceans were rising .5 millimeters a year, the study said.

That means about 196 billion metric tons of water is added to the ocean annually.

The study will be published in the February issue of “Nature Geoscience.”

— Joseph Serna