In addition, the ice sheet is so massive that it gravitationally attracts an ocean bulge that, if released, would lead to an additional increase of three feet or more to sea level in parts of the northern hemisphere. The entirety of West Antarctica contains enough ice that, if it were to melt, would contribute more than 10 feet of average global sea level rise. This bowl-like topography makes it susceptible to runaway destabilization and even complete collapse over centuries to thousands of years. Scientists have been concerned that this ice sheet is particularly precarious in the face of a warming climate and ocean currents, because it is grounded hundreds to thousands of feet below sea level - unlike the ice sheets of East Antarctica or Greenland - and its base slopes inland. "We studied a surprising and important mechanism, glacial isostatic adjustment, that may slow the demise of the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet by lifting up the bedrock and sediments beneath the ice sheet," explained CSU Professor Rick Aster, a co-author of the study and head of the Department of Geosciences at the university. The authors noted that the findings have important implications in understanding and predicting the stability of the ice sheet and Earth's rising sea levels. The study, "Observed rapid bedrock uplift in the Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability," reveals new insights on the geology of the region and its interaction with the ice sheet and is published in the journal Science.
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