Human activity has caused the retreat of Antarctica’s fastest-melting glacier

ORIGIN: https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/

The first study to directly attribute the retreat of Antarctic glaciers to climate change shows that Pine Island Glacier has been pushed significantly further inland by human-induced global warming.

Aerial image of a glacier. Source: King’s College London.

Human-caused climate change has significantly accelerated the retreat of one of Antarctica’s most important glaciers during the 20th century.

Pine Island Glacier, which drains a large part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into the Amundsen Sea, is one of the biggest contributors to global sea level rise.

This pioneering study, led by scientists from King’s College London and the British Antarctic Survey and published in The Cryosphere, is the first to directly attribute changes in a major Antarctic outlet glacier to human activity.

Location of the glacier referred to in the article, highlighted within the red box. Image: Social media.

The authors of the study also warn that the impact of human activity will continue to shape Antarctic ice loss for centuries to come.

An unstoppable glacier retreat

The research reveals that greenhouse gas emissions have increased the retreat of Pine Island Glacier by