Ice-Sheet in Antarctica Increasing due to Global Warming

According to a new study, Antarctica has now got more ice than it did a few decades ago, and this increase in ice significantly affects temperature in the Southern Oceans.

Recent data has shown that contrary to the Arctic Circle, the level of ice has increased in Antarctica. Another new study has found evidence of the Arctic Circle getting greener due to global warming.

The present study was conducted by researchers from Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.

"The paradox is that global warming leads to more cooling and more sea ice around Antarctica," said Richard Bintanja, a climate researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute in Utrecht, reports Nature.

For the study, researchers observed data collected from satellite and buoys of ocean temperature and salinity between the years 1985 and 2010. The ice sheet in Antarctica loses about 250 gigatonnes a year due to rise in temperature. The melting ice expands the ice cover and protects sea ice from warm waters.

Researchers developed a model to see how this melting of ice is helping the ice sheet in the region expand.

Study results showed that the melting ice provides a protective cap for the ice sheet of the region and helps it stay frozen despite a rise in water temperatures.

"Against the background of global climate warming, the expansion of Antarctic sea ice is an exceptional feature, which seems to be associated with decreasing sea surface temperatures in the Southern Ocean," researchers wrote.

The study is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.