MSGID: 1:317/3 6279eaca   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    More difficult than expected for glaciers to recover from climate   
   warming    
      
     Date:   
         May 9, 2022   
     Source:   
         Stockholm University   
     Summary:   
         Ice shelves are floating extensions of glaciers. If Greenland's   
         second largest ice shelf breaks up, it may not recover unless   
         Earth's future climate cools considerably.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Ice shelves are floating extensions of glaciers. If Greenland's second   
   largest ice shelf breaks up, it may not recover unless Earth's future   
   climate cools considerably. This is the result of a new study, published   
   in Nature Communications.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   A team of scientists from Stockholm University and University of   
   California Irvine investigated whether the Petermann Ice Shelf in northern   
   Greenland could recover from a future breakup due to climate change. They   
   used a sophisticated computer model to simulate the potential recovery   
   of the ice shelf.   
      
   "Even if Earth's climate stopped warming, it would be difficult to   
   rebuild this ice shelf once it has fallen apart," says Henning AAkesson,   
   who led the study at Stockholm University.   
      
   "If Petermann's ice shelf is lost, we would have to go 'back in time'   
   towards a cooler climate reminiscent of the period before the industrial   
   revolution to regrow Petermann," AAkesson says.   
      
   Ice shelves reduce mass loss from our polar ice sheets. These gatekeepers   
   thereby limit sea-level rise caused by climate warming. "The rationale   
   to avoid breakup of ice shelves in the first place should be clearer   
   than ever," AAkesson says.   
      
   Glaciers are rapidly melting Petermann is one of Greenland's few remaining   
   ice shelves, and is being watched by Argus-eyed scientists worldwide after   
   Manhattan-sized icebergs broke off from the ice shelf in 2010 and 2012,   
   causing Petermann to lose 40 percent of its floating ice shelf. Scientist   
   are concerned that further breakup or even collapse of the ice shelf   
   would speed up ice flow from the interior ice sheet.   
      
   In 2018, a new crack in the middle of the ice shelf was discovered,   
   which renewed worries of Petermann's state of health.   
      
   Ice-sheet experts are concerned While this study focused on northwestern   
   Greenland's largest glacier, another grave concern is that the larger   
   ice shelves found in Antarctica could be difficult to build back as well,   
   should they break-up too.   
      
   "This is just the first step, but chances are that our findings are not   
   unique for Petermann Glacier and Greenland." AAkesson says. "If they are   
   not, near- future warming of the polar oceans may push the ice shelves   
   protecting Earth's ice sheets into a new retreated high-discharge state   
   which may be exceedingly difficult to recover from."  The ice-sheet   
   experts stress that we need to pin down exactly how ice shelves break-up,   
   and how much more warming they now can withstand before they fall apart.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Stockholm_University. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Henning Åkesson, Mathieu Morlighem, Johan Nilsson, Christian   
         Stranne, Martin Jakobsson. Petermann ice shelf may not recover   
         after a future breakup. Nature Communications, 2022; 13 (1) DOI:   
         10.1038/s41467- 022-29529-5   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220509162822.htm   
      
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