Global Warming in Antarctica

1.Scientists are also studying the Antarctic ice and ice flow in an attempt to determine whether the greenhouse effect, a global warming trend caused by rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, is changing conditions in the Antarctic; examples of such are the thickness of the ice cap and the movement of Antarctic ocean currents, which help cool the Earth. Recent studies indicate that the temperature of Antarctica has increased by 2.5 C degrees (4.5 F degrees) over the last 50 years—a more rapid increase than almost anywhere else on Earth. At the same time, a study (published 2002) of several ice rivers flowing to the coast along the Ross Ice Shelf concluded that they were slowing and thickening. Ice rivers in other parts of western Antarctica were speeding up and sending more ice toward the sea. Thus the contribution of Antarctica to rising world sea levels remains unclear.