Even the coldest continent on Earth is melting, say NASA scientists.
These maps illustrate different aspects of seasonal melting on Antarctica. After analyzing 20 years of satellite data, scientists have concluded that persistent melting—melting that lasts for at least three daytime periods or one consecutive day and night—has been occurring increasingly farther inland and at higher altitudes over the past two decades. The top map shows how the area affected by persistent melting has expanded since 1987. The colors represent the first year in which satellites observed persistent melting. Light green shows areas where melting was observed from the beginning, while blue shows areas where melting occurred for the first time more recently. The bottom map shows the number of days on which melting occurred in 2005, a year of particularly dramatic melting. Snow melted as far inland as 500 miles and at altitudes of 1.2 miles above sea level. Not surprisingly, melting lasted longest (dark purple) on the Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches northward away from the continent. The Ross Ice Sheet and the land to its interior also experienced between 10-20 melting days in 2005.
Comments