Thanks to modern computer technology, researchers were able compare with current satellite data to create 3D reconstructions of glaciers and determine whether they regressed or advanced and whether they thickened or thinned, after which it was determined that the ice not only remained stable but grew slightly over the last 85 years, partly due to increased snowfall.
stable ice
The first author of the study, Mads Dømgaard, stated that “we constantly hear about climate change and new melting records, so it is comforting to observe an area of glaciers that has remained stable for almost a century“.
Although he warned that the first signs of changes in sea ice in front of the glacier, which could mean that the stable glaciers of the East Antarctica could shrink in the future.
Norwegian aerial images complemented with 165 aerial images from the same glaciers from Australian studies made between 1950 and 1974.
This allowed the researchers to examine the evolution of glaciers in different periods and calculate the historical speeds of the ice flow for selected glaciers.
Compared to modern data, the Ice flow rates do not change.
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Although some glaciers have slimmed down in shorter intermediate periods, from 10 to 20 years, they remained stable or grew slightly in the long term, which indicates a system in equilibrium.
“Our results also indicate a weakening sea ice conditions, which makes the floating ice tongues of glaciers more vulnerable and unable to grow as much as seen in the first aerial images from 1937. We know from other parts of Antarctica that the ocean plays an extremely important role, and drives the enormous and increasing melting of ice that we see, for example, in West Antarctica,” says Dømgaard.
Old photographs and satellite images
“When comparing the photographs historical aerials with modern satellite data, We have gained critical knowledge about glaciers that we would not otherwise have had. I think it is fantastic that these old images can be used to generate new research results almost 100 years after they were taken“said Assistant Professor Anders Bjørk of the University of Copenhagen, who leads the group that works with historical images.
The warming of the deep waters of Antarctica Due to environmental changes in their surroundings due to human activity, they cause a weaker circulation in the deep sea which contributes to the increase of sea level in the North Atlantic.
Antarctica map.jpg
The Antarctic ice sheet is receiving increasing attention from researchers, due to its potential for increased extremely large and fast from sea level.
Unlike Greenland, it was known very little about the glaciers of Antarctica until the 1990s, when the first good satellite observations.
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“The first observations of the Glaciers are extremely valuable, since they give us a unique vision of how it has ice evolved through a variable climate and if the current changes in the ice exceed the cycle normal advance and retreat of glaciers“Dømgaard explained.
According to the researcher, the Robust, long-term data is crucial to produce accurate predictions about the future evolution of glaciers and sea level riseand this study provides new insights into a vast area in East Antarctica.
“The long time series of Glaciers improve our ability to create models more accurate predictions of future changes in the ice, as models are based on historical observations“Bjørk concluded.
