Researchers get £1m for ice melt studies
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BY JAMES MONCUR reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk SCOTS scientists have been given £1million to predict the potentially catastrophic effects of ice melt in the Antarctic.
As part of their work, researchers at St Andrews University will glue sensors to seals to help determine if weather-triggered armageddon is coming.
The cash will be used to fund research on the massive Thwaites glacier, which is the size of Great Britain and has a cliff face 75 miles wide.
They have already warned sea levels could rise by between 3ft and 10ft by 2100 if the melting of the ice mass continues.
It is already thinning alarmingly – losing 50billion tons of ice every year, which is likely to lead to a huge increase of coastal flooding.
Two major grants of £438,000 and £540,000 have been awarded to the researchers in St Andrews, who will team up with experts in the US.
They will investigate what is causing ice loss at the glacier, how quickly it could collapse and how it would impact the planet.
The five-year International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration involves more than 100 experts and is the largest to be undertaken by the UK and US in 70 years.
Professor Duncan Wingham said: “We do not know enough about the likelihood, timing and magnitude of the collapse of west Antarctic glaciers such as Thwaites for countries to be able to plan accordingly.”
Dr Lars Boehme said: “We will attach instruments to Weddell and elephant seals in this region.
“These sensors, which fall off during moulting, will allow us to collect observations during winter.” IT’S one way to make sure you get to the match in time.
A fan of Italian side Fiorentina arrived at his side’s match with Napoli on a drone.
It didn’t do his team any harm – they beat the Naples side 3-0, putting a large dent in their attempt to win their first Serie A title since 1990.