Antarctica lost ice cover equivalent to the size of Turkey in last three years: Scientists

WION Web Team
Istanbul, Turkey Updated: Feb 27, 2024, 09:29 PM(IST)

Image of melting ice sheets in Antarctica. Photograph:( Others )

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The data from the equipment showed an average decrease of 7 cubic metres (247 cubic feet) in a 100 square m (1,076 square ft) area of ice and snow cover at Horseshoe Island between 2022 and 2023

Turkish scientists have claimed that Antarctica has lost ice equivalent to the size of Turkey in the last three years alone. Researchers who are working on the continent reached this conclusion after studying data from UAVs and satellites and tracking parameters like atmospheric water vapour. This means that ice spanning over 785,000 square kilometres (303,090 square miles) has disappeared from the continent during this period.

The data from the equipment showed an average decrease of 7 cubic metres (247 cubic feet) in a 100 square m (1,076 square ft) area of ice and snow cover at Horseshoe Island between 2022 and 2023.

Scientists warned if the current ice melting rate is not reined in, the concentration of water vapours and other greenhouse gases may increase in the atmosphere, potentially accelerating climate change.

"We are able to track the retreat and changes in glaciers year after year through drone footage, equipment readings, and GNSS (satellite navigation) stations we set up at our research sites in Antarctica," Ozsoy told Anadolu, said Professor Burcu Ozsoy, head of the first Turkish polar research center.

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Stressing that data collected over several years showed glaring losses, Ozsoy said: "If we extrapolate the amount we measured in these past three years to the entirety of Antarctica, the ice loss we witnessed would be equivalent to the size of Türkiye."

Fahri Karabulut, a researcher from Istanbul’s Yildiz Technical University participating in the expedition said they could observe an ice loss of 10 per cent in glaciers using drones.

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"Using drones, we observed an area reduction of approximately 10% in the glaciers. Extrapolating this ratio, the ice loss equates to an area roughly the size of Türkiye," Karabulut said.

Scientists also observed cracks in the glaciers. “This allows us to observe and quantify melting both visually and numerically, offering firsthand insights into the consequences of global warming," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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