The two studies, one by NASA and the other by researchers at the University of Washington, looked at the Western Antarctica Ice Sheet over different stretches of time. The NASA study focused on melting over the last 20 years, while the University of Washington used computer model to predict the future of the WAIS. At least one of the papers could be considered real science, the type that takes actual measurements. Regardless, both studies arrived at similar conclusions: The thinning and melting of the Antarctic ice sheet is underway and cannot be halted. But that is not the whole story.
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And while the word “collapse” implies a sudden change, the fastest scenario envisioned by the researchers is 200 years, and the longest is more than 1,000 years. Moreover, there are large uncertainties in these predictions because glaciers do not flow at consistent rates. Greenland’s glaciers have recently demonstrated the variable nature of their march to the sea. The new “rapid” rate measures after the grounding line breakout in Antarctica will undoubtedly slow in the future. This leads to the question how fast is the ice shrinking in Antarctica? There are many different estimates.
