Humans have “lost control” over the melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet – and this could cause global sea levels to rise by 3.2 feet by 2100, according to a study

Humans may have lost control of the West Antarctic ice sheet, according to a new study.

Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey predict that inevitable melting due to warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions will cause sea levels to rise in the following decades.

Even if emissions are controlled to achieve the best possible scenario, ice sheet melting will continue to accelerate this century, three times faster than in the 20th century.

If it melts completely, the ice sheet will release enough water to raise sea levels worldwide by 17 feet (5.3 meters).

However, scientists assume that they will “only” rise by one meter by the end of the century.

Humans may have lost control of the West Antarctic ice sheet, according to a new study

Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey predict that inevitable melting due to warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions will cause sea levels to rise in the following decades

Warming oceans, absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere, are eroding the ice sheet from below, and this effect is most pronounced on the western side of the continent.

Scientists are unsure how much this is expected to contribute to global sea level rise. However, if the entire West Antarctic ice sheet melts, this would be about five meters, although this scenario is considered unlikely.

East Antarctica, which contains about 95 percent of the continent’s ice, remains stable, scientists say. A recent study found that although it is melting rapidly in the West, the amount of ice there has increased over the past 30 years, with a net loss of around 7.5 trillion tons of ice.

How much this melting will contribute to ocean rise is not as well understood as in other polar regions such as Greenland’s glaciers.

Dr. Kaitlin Naughten of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and lead author of the study said other research beyond her own is contributing to sea levels rising by about a meter by 2100.

She described her findings as follows: “It looks like we have lost control of the melting of the West Antarctic ice shelf in the 21st century.”

“Our actions today will likely make a difference in the 22nd century and beyond, but that is a time frame that none of us here are likely to see.”

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, was described by scientists as “sobering” as it points to inevitable sea level rise that is likely to devastate many coastal communities if they do not adapt.

If it melts completely, the ice sheet will release enough water to raise sea levels worldwide by 17 feet (5.3 meters).

In the UK, Gwynedd City Council is already planning to abandon the Welsh village of Fairbourne in the 2050s after announcing it would no longer maintain sea defenses.

Millions of people around the world live on the coast and must either “build around the threat” or be “abandoned,” Dr. Naughten added that controlling emissions would lead to slower sea level rise, giving people more time to adapt.

For the current study, the BAS team from Dr simulated emissions remain at a medium to high level.

Each scenario showed that there would be widespread warming of the Amundsen Sea, which borders West Antarctica, leading to faster ice sheet melting.

For the current study, the BAS team from Dr simulated emissions remain at a medium to high level

The different emission paths did not show much difference until around 2045, when the high emission simulation began to increase the melt rate faster than the other scenarios.

Other scientists cautioned against viewing the study’s results as entirely conclusive because they are based on a single model but are consistent with other similar studies.

Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato, an oceanographer at the University of Southampton, said: “This is sobering research.”

“It shows how our past choices have likely led us to significant melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet and the resulting sea level rise – to which we as a society will inevitably have to adapt in the decades and centuries to come.”

“But it should also serve as a wake-up call.” “We can still save the rest of the Antarctic ice sheet, which is causing about 10 times as many meters of sea level rise, if we learn from our past inaction and start reducing greenhouse gas emissions now.”