LATEST EVIDENCE. Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier Ice Shelf Begins To Break Up (Ian Joughin, a glaciologist at the University of Washington in Seattle). Planet Earth may be at greater risk than ever before if global climate change proves to be a long-term threat. Two teams of scientists say the long-feared collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has begun, kicking off what they say will be a centuries-long, "unstoppable" process that could raise sea levels by as much as 4 m (15 ft). The glacier serves as a linchpin for the rest of the West Antarctic Ice sheet, which has enough frozen mass to cause another 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) of sea level rise. Many locations will have environments at higher risk as temperature increases and sea level rises, as hypothesized. Presentation courtesy of Dr. Walter Haye, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction
2. LATEST EVIDENCE
May 27, 2014
ANTARCTICA’S THWAITES GLACIER
ICE SHELF BEGINS TO BREAK UP
Ian Joughin, a glaciologist at the
University of Washington in Seattle
5. WARNING
Planet Earth may be at greater
risk than ever before if global
climate change proves to be a
long-term threat
6. Source: SCIENCE, May 2014
• Two teams of scientists say the
long-feared collapse of the West
Antarctic Ice Sheet has begun,
kicking off what they say will be a
centuries-long, "unstoppable"
process that could raise sea levels
by as much as 4 m (15 ft).
7. Source: SCIENCE, May 2014
• They estimate that Thwaites
Glacier will probably disappear
entirely in somewhere between 200
and 1,000 years.
• That loss alone would raise global
sea level by nearly 2 feet (60
centimeters).
8. Source: SCIENCE, May 2014
• The glacier serves as a linchpin
for the rest of the West
Antarctic Ice sheet, which has
enough frozen mass to cause
another 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4
meters) of sea level rise.
9. IF PLANET EARTH
CONTINUES WARMING UP,
- - -
MANY LOCATIONS WILL HAVE
ENVIRONMENTS AT HIGHER RISK AS
TEMPERATURE INCREASES AND SEA
LEVEL RISES, AS HYPOTHESIZED
15. CURRENT NEEDS
Planet Earth’s
changes in
exposure and risk
over time have
created a need for:
Technology to
monitor global
climate change,
warn people, and
protect property,
and infrastructure.