Why in the News?

New research has documented previously unseen shapes at the base of a West Antarctic ice shelf.

Base of a West Antarctic Ice Shelf

Basal Melt Dynamics: The base of West Antarctic ice shelves, including the Dotson Ice Shelf, experiences basal melt driven by warm ocean water. This process leads to thinning and hollows out cavities beneath the ice, reducing structural support for the grounded ice above.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Research: Recent research utilized an AUV equipped with multibeam sonar to explore the topography of the basal melt cavity beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf, revealing previously unquantified melt mechanisms and unique formations at the ice shelf’s base.
- Warm salty water, which is transported through ocean currents, significantly contributes to the melting of ice shelves. This bottom-up melting is critical to understanding the dynamics of ice loss and its implications for global sea level rise.
- The AUV discovered tear-shaped indents and other unique shapes at the base of the ice shelf, indicating diverse melting patterns influenced by the flow of warm water.

Dotson Ice Shelf is part of the West Antarctic ice sheet and is located next to Thwaites Glacier in the Amundsen Sea.
Thwaites Glacier is considered to have a potentially large impact on future sea level rise due to its size and location.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities such as burning fossil fuels have significantly increased greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases trap heat, leading to global warming.
Heat Absorption: The oceans have absorbed more than 93% of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions since the 1970s. This resulted in an average increase in ocean temperature of about 1°F (0.6°C) over the past century.
Impact of El Niño: The El Niño weather pattern, characterized by the abnormal warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, contributes to both ocean warming and rising global surface temperatures.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed by 166 countries in 1992, acknowledging humanity’s role in climate change.
The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, sets the international community the goal of limiting global warming to “well below” 2°C in this century.
The Green Climate Fund, established in 2010, aims to help developing countries adopt initiatives to combat climate change and deforestation

Enhanced Global Commitments: Nations need to reinforce their commitments under international agreements like the Paris Agreement. This includes setting more ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adhering to these goals through stringent policies and regulations.
Funding and Technology Transfer: Developed countries should increase financial contributions to climate funds such as the Green Climate Fund to support mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries.

Q Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian sub-continent. (2014)