Study finds ice shelf melting ten times faster

Part of the world’s largest ice shelf is melting ten times faster than expected due to the sea warming around it, research shows.

The discovery suggests that the Ross Ice Shelf – a floating slab of Antarctic ice the size of France that juts into the ocean – is more vulnerable to global warming than previously thought. Loss of ice shelves removes a barrier to glaciers transporting water to the ocean.

A team from Cambridge University investigated how the Ross Ice Shelf’s north-west sector interacted with the ocean.

Former Cambridge scientist Dr Craig Stewart said: “The stability of ice shelves is generally thought to be related to their exposure to warm deep ocean water, but we’ve found that solar heated surface water also plays a crucial role in melting ice shelves.”