Scientists say 'unimaginable amounts' of water will pour into oceans if ice shelves collapse amid global heating | TheHill - The Hill

“Ice shelves are important buffers, preventing glaciers on land from flowing freely into the ocean and contributing to sea level rise,” said Ella Gilbert, who co-authored the study.

“Ice shelves are important buffers, preventing glaciers on land from flowing freely into the ocean and contributing to sea level rise,” Ella Gilbert, a research scientist in the University of Reading’s meteorology department who co-authored the study, said.

The surge in water from their collapse would cause sea levels to rise.

The study doesn’t cite an estimate of the level of rise if could cause, but Gilbert said, “My gut feeling is for 4C it could potentially contribute tens of centimetres if they did collapse.”.

“If temperatures continue to rise at current rates we may lose more Antarctic ice shelves in the coming decades,” Gilbert said!

“Limiting warming will not just be good for Antarctica – preserving ice shelves means less global sea level rise, and that’s good for us all.”