Rapid Antarctic melting looks certain, even if emissions goals are met

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The New York Times or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: New research from the British Antarctic Survey suggests that some level of accelerated melting is unavoidable in the Antarctic
• The research examines the Amundsen Sea’s waters and how they interact with the Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers

🔭 The context: Ice shelves in West Antarctica play a pivotal role in balancing the flow of glaciers into the ocean
• As they undergo thinning because of underwater melting, there's a subsequent increase in land ice transitioning into the sea, which poses a threat of elevated sea levels.

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Ice melting in West Antarctica can significantly contribute to global sea level rise
• Limiting global warming to the Paris Agreement’s ambitious aim of 1.5°C may not halt this melting, as the current trajectory suggests this target is unlikely to be met

⏭️ What's next: The study predicts that water temperatures could warm more than three times faster in the coming decades, largely irrespective of emission reductions

💬 One quote: “It appears that we may have lost control of the West Antarctic ice-shelf melting over the 21st century,” (Kaitlin A. Naughten, ocean scientist with the British Antarctic Survey)

📈 One stat: If global warming were limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, temperatures in the Amundsen would stabilize after about 2060 but in a worst-case emissions scenario, ocean warming would accelerate even more post-2045

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