ANSWER: Increase in snow accumulation that commenced 10,000 years ago is adding ice to outdo increasing loss from thinning glaciers
Explanation:
Increase in Antarctic snow accumulation which commenced 10,000 years ago is adding plenty of ice to the continent. This is outweighing the increased loss from thinning glaciers. Research is a counter view to the IPCC 2013 report which has indicated that Antarctica is losing land ice overall. As per the satellite data analysis, Antarctic ice sheet has displayed net gain of 112 billion tonnes of ice per year from 1992 to 2001. Net gain slowed to 82 billion tonnes of ice per year between 2003 and 2008. Study analysed changes in surface height of the Antarctic ice sheet measured by radar altimeters on 2 SA satellites and laser altimeter on ICESat or NASA’s Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite. Air is becoming warmer and carrying moisture across continents doubling the snow dropped on the ice sheet.
