MELBOURNE, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Antarctic scientists in Australia are part of an international plan to conduct geophysical surveys of the entire Antarctic coastal region in a bid to improve predictions of future sea-level rise.
Scientists would run three continent-wide survey rings around Antarctica, tracking inland ice flow, grounding zones and ocean-facing ice shelves to capture the critical processes driving ice loss, according to a statement released Monday by Australia's University of Tasmania (UTAS).
The study, published in the American Geophysical Union's Reviews of Geophysics, synthesizes current understanding of how ice, ocean, atmosphere and the solid Earth interact in Antarctica's coastal zone, and highlights key knowledge gaps and the need for improved observations at a pan-Antarctic scale.
"This ambitious, globally coordinated campaign would resolve the biggest uncertainties in predicting Antarctic sea-level rise, with huge implications for coastal planning and efforts to support low-lying nations, including Australia's Pacific neighbors," said study co-lead author Felicity McCormack from Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future based at Australia's Monash University.
Study co-author Zhao Chen from the UTAS Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies said the plan could help reveal how far and how fast Antarctic ice loss could reshape coastlines around the world.
The review was written by 80 scientists worldwide through the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research's RINGS Action Group, which coordinates international efforts to survey Antarctica's coastal zone.
Researchers identified persistent gaps in direct observations of coastal bed topography and sub-ice shelf cavities, which can limit estimates of Antarctic ice loss and future sea-level rise. ■
