Between 1994 and 2017, a “ shocking ” 28 trillion (28,000,000,000,000) tons of ice disappeared, according to the researchers. During the same period, sea levels rose by 3.46 centimeters.
Specific
“To make this concrete”, writes ESA (The European Space Agency) on his website, “a trillion tons of ice equals a 10x10x10 kilometer block of ice, which is larger than Mount Everest.”
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Lead researcher Thomas Slater says on the ESA website that this is “the worst-case scenario for global warming.” “Such a large rise in sea level will have very serious consequences for people living on the coast for this century.”
Satellite images and calculations
The researchers draw their conclusions after examining satellite images in combination with calculations. They published their results in The Cryosphere magazine.
Since the early 1990s, the rate at which ice melts has increased by 57 percent, the researchers calculated. The increase from 0.8 to 1.2 trillion tons per year is due to the accelerated melting of glaciers and ice caps, mainly in Antarctica and Greenland. Most of the world’s ice loss is most likely due to global warming.
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