Increased Rainfall Accelerating Antarctic Glacier Melt, Scientist Reports

An increase in rainfall has accelerated the rate of melting of glaciers along the Antarctic Peninsula, which in turn is adding to rising sea levels worldwide, a leading British glaciologist says. David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey says that rain is becoming more frequent during the summer in the northern half of the Antarctic Peninsula, which has warmed faster than any other place on earth, with average annual temperatures rising 5.4 F since 1951. The Sheldon Glacier — located below the Antarctic Circle at 67°30’ and rarely subjected to rain and warm temperatures several decades ago — has retreated 1.2 miles in the last 20 years. Vaughan said 87 percent of the 400 glaciers along the peninsula are now in retreat and that more frequent rains hasten the melting and fracturing of the glaciers. The biggest concern of glaciologists, Vaughan said, is that with a warming trend sweeping down the Antarctic Peninsula, larger, more southerly glaciers — such as the Pine Island Glacier — are already showing signs of melting, which will add to global sea level rises that could surpass three feet this century.