Researchers determine that although glaciers continue to increase in velocity, the rate at which they can dump ice into the ocean is limited
May 8, 2012 Changes in the speed that ice travels in more than 200 outlet glaciers indicates that Greenland's contribution to rising sea level in the 21st century could be significantly less than the upper limits some scientists thought possible.
The finding comes from a paper funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA and published in today's journal Science.
While the study indicates that a melting Greenland's contributions to rising sea levels could be less than expected, researchers concede that more work needs to be done before any definitive trend can be identified.
Studies like this one are designed to examine more closely and in greater detail what is actually happening with the ice sheets, often using newer and more precise tools and thereby better defining the parameters that scientists use to make predictions, such as the upper limits of sea-level rise.
Read More:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124102&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click