Ice-sheet models are an essential tool in making predictions regarding the future of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets. Nevertheless, these models still have a number of weaknesses. In an international model comparison, 14 research groups fed their ice-sheet models the same atmospheric and ocean data, and calculated what additional amounts of sea-level rise Greenland and the Antarctic would contribute by the year 2100. For Greenland, the results are consistent: if greenhouse-gas emissions levels remain just as high, the island will eventually lose so much ice that it will add 9 centimeters to global sea-level rise. When it comes to the Antarctic, however, the models’ results vary considerably. Some predict an additional sea-level rise of up to 30 centimeters; others call for the rise to be significantly less. The outcomes of the comparison will be published today in a special issue of the online journal The Cryosphere.
Click here for original story, Experts calculate future ice loss and sea-level contributions of Greenland and Antarctica
Source: Phys.org