Why is it in the news?

• According to a new study, the rapid melting of West Antarctica’s ice sheet is now inevitable due to warm waters surrounding it.
• This melting will continue even if global carbon emissions are significantly reduced.

 About the Study and its Key findings

• The study titled ‘Unavoidable future increase in West Antarctic ice-shelf melting over the twenty-first century’ was published in the journal Nature. It was conducted by researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and Northumbria University.
• The study particularly examines the Amundsen Sea region in West Antarctica, where ice shelves have been depleting, glaciers flowing faster towards the ocean, and the ice sheet shrinking.
• The analysis utilized a high-resolution computer model to simulate different scenarios of ocean warming and ice-shelf melting in the Amundsen Sea throughout the 21st century. The findings indicate that significant warming and ice-shelf melting are expected, regardless of emissions scenarios, at least until 2045.
• Even in a best-case scenario of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the waters around West Antarctica are projected to warm three times faster than in the 20th century, leading to increased ice sheet melting.
• If West Antarctica’s ice sheet completely melts, it could raise global mean sea levels by 5.3 meters (17.4 feet). This poses a severe threat to coastal cities worldwide, including those in India.
• Further, vulnerable communities may face displacement or become refugees if they cannot defend against sea-level rise.