Posted on 11 November 2023 by John Hartz

Story of the Week

What the Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves Means for the Planet

A Q&A with Richard Alley, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, on how melting at the South Pole could impact sea level rise.

From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Host Steve Curwood with Penn State geologist Richard Alley.

Antarctica’s ice shelves are the gatekeepers between the continent’s glaciers and the open ocean.

As the planet warms, these shelves shrink, exposing more and more ice, which leads to more melting. This frozen continent rests under a massive ice sheet averaging more than a mile thick.

But a recent study in Science Advances found that Antarctica had 68 ice shelves that shrunk significantly between 1997 and 2021, adding up to about 8.3 trillion tons lost during that time.

Richard Alley is a professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, and he joined Living on Earth Host Steve Curwood to shed light on what all this melting at the south pole could mean for the planet.

What the Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves Means for the Planet A Q&A with Richard Alley, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, on how melting at the South Pole could impact sea level rise. Interview by Steve Curwood, Science, Inside Climate News, Nov 11, 2023 

Click here to access the entire article as originally posted on the Inside Climate News website.

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Sunday, Nov 5, 2023

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• Explainer: How AI helps combat climate change Artificial intelligence (AI) is already making inroads worldwide in health, education and industry, but how can this cutting-edge technology help the world combat and mitigate the effects of climate change? by Staff, Climate & Environment, UN News, Nov 3, 2023
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• Politicians who delay climate action must live with consequences, says WHO expert Delegates at Cop are ‘negotiating with our health’, says Maria Neira, the doctor in charge of environmental health at WHO by Ajit Nirajan, World, The Guardian, Nov 4, 2023
• Amazon drought: Much damage still to come, Commentary by Philip M. Fearnside &, Rosimeire Araújo Silva, Amazon Conservation Series, Mongabay, Nov 1, 2023
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• Living in a Neighborhood That Floods, Rain or Shine As high tide floods increase in some areas of New York City, its residents are asking themselves: When does a place become unlivable by Winston Choi-Schagrin, NY Region, New York Times, Nov 5, 2023

Monday, Nov 6, 2023

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Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023

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Wednesday, Nov 8, 2023

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Thursday, Nov 9, 2023

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Friday, Nov 10, 2023

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Saturday, Nov 11, 2023

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• What the Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves Means for the Planet A Q&A with Richard Alley, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, on how melting at the South Pole could impact sea level rise. Interview by Steve Curwood, Science, Inside Climate News, Nov 11, 2023