A combination of data from ESA's GOCE mission and NASA's Grace satellites shows the 'vertical gravity gradient change'. (Credit: DGFI/Planetary Visions/ESA)
Oct 02, 2014
Satellite measurements show that West Antarctica's gravitational pull measurably decreased over three years because of lost mass due to melting ice, according to research published recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Data from the European Space Agency's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), combined with "coarser" measurements from the NASA-German GRACE satellite, allowed scientists to look at changes in ice mass in small glacial systems and compare those to high-resolution measurements of Antarctica's gravitational field.
"They have found that the loss of ice from West Antarctica between 2009 and 2012 caused a dip in the gravity field over the region," according to a GOCE press release.
A study earlier this year showed that the world's two largest ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at the fastest rates ever recorded. Another study, published in August, found that human-caused climate change has become the primary driver of glacial melt.
According to the European Space Agency, the rate at which ice is been lost from the West Antarctic ice sheet has increased by a factor of three each year since 2009.
"The gravitational fluctuation over the Antarctic Peninsula is small, but it's further evidence that melting ice is fundamentally changing parts of the planet," Carl Engelking writes at Discover magazine's D-brief blog.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Satellite measurements show that West Antarctica's gravitational pull measurably decreased over three years because of lost mass due to melting ice, according to research published recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Data from the European Space Agency's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), combined with "coarser" measurements from the NASA-German GRACE satellite, allowed scientists to look at changes in ice mass in small glacial systems and compare those to high-resolution measurements of Antarctica's gravitational field.
"They have found that the loss of ice from West Antarctica between 2009 and 2012 caused a dip in the gravity field over the region," according to a GOCE press release.
A study earlier this year showed that the world's two largest ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at the fastest rates ever recorded. Another study, published in August, found that human-caused climate change has become the primary driver of glacial melt.
According to the European Space Agency, the rate at which ice is been lost from the West Antarctic ice sheet has increased by a factor of three each year since 2009.
"The gravitational fluctuation over the Antarctic Peninsula is small, but it's further evidence that melting ice is fundamentally changing parts of the planet," Carl Engelking writes at Discover magazine's D-brief blog.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Satellite measurements show that West Antarctica's gravitational pull measurably decreased over three years because of lost mass due to melting ice, according to research published recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Data from the European Space Agency's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), combined with "coarser" measurements from the NASA-German GRACE satellite, allowed scientists to look at changes in ice mass in small glacial systems and compare those to high-resolution measurements of Antarctica's gravitational field.
"They have found that the loss of ice from West Antarctica between 2009 and 2012 caused a dip in the gravity field over the region," according to a GOCE press release.
A study earlier this year showed that the world's two largest ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at the fastest rates ever recorded. Another study, published in August, found that human-caused climate change has become the primary driver of glacial melt.
According to the European Space Agency, the rate at which ice is been lost from the West Antarctic ice sheet has increased by a factor of three each year since 2009.
"The gravitational fluctuation over the Antarctic Peninsula is small, but it's further evidence that melting ice is fundamentally changing parts of the planet," Carl Engelking writes at Discover magazine's D-brief blog.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.