West Antarctic links to sea level estimation

A recent report from Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC, 2007] highlighted the increasingly precise observations of sea level rise that are obtainable from satellite measurements and the greater certainty in the projected impacts of climate change on nonpolar glaciers and thermal expansion of the oceans. This improved understanding heightens confidence in projections of sea level rise, but the IPCC's assessment specifically excludes the contribution that could arise from rapid changes in the flow of ice sheets. The Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) ice sheet (Figure 1, top), which occupies approximately one third of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS), is an area of particular concern. Many recent satellite studies have shown it to be the most rapidly changing portion of the Antarctic ice sheet. Indeed, this part of the Antarctic ice sheet is making a contribution to sea level rise comparable to that of the entire Greenland ice sheet. Further changes in this area could substantially increase future rates of sea level rise.