Will the world soon be underwater? Scientists aren't hiding their fears

The melting of glaciers is accelerating, reducing the weight of ice on the continental crust. The result? Antarctica, much like Greenland, is rising.

The melting of the ice cap, a real ticking time bomb for scientists, causes Antarctica to rise by 5cm per year. The state of polar regions, according to several studies on the subject, is rather alarming! Futura-Sciences also points out that Antarctica's ice alone represents by far the largest reserve of freshwater on the planet. If it entirely melted, it would lead to a sea level rise of... 60 metres. The rise in sea level is among the greatest threats to the planet, particularly affecting the world's coastal areas.

The effects of the melting of this polar ice cap, even if it represents only a fraction of it, would be absolutely disastrous, especially for the many inhabited islands that only rise a few metres above the sea, notes Futura-Sciences.

Goodbye worries?

But..., while the scenario is painted in the worst-case scenario, it's possible that a widely occurring physical phenomenon may break the prevailing pessimism. According to a recent study published in the American journal Science Advances, the rising of the Atlantic (5cm per year), also known as 'glacial isostatic adjustment', is none other than Archimedes' principle. The continental crust, gradually shedding the weight of the glaciers, rises. Below, it's pushed by 'the elastic mantle which always tends towards isostatic equilibrium'.

While this rising of the Antarctic continental crust is concerning, it could impact sea level rise. Researchers, by conducting several simulations and models over the next 500 years, have demonstrated that the phenomenon could protect the ice from the warm ocean waters and, thus, limit its melting. In this case, the sea level rise would reach only +1.7 metres by 2500. However, this scenario holds true only under one condition: reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and consequently, limiting global warming. Otherwise, sea levels would be +19.5 metres by 2500.

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Futura-Sciences - Illustration: ©Unsplash)