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Holocene Deglaciation of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica

2003; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 299; Issue: 5603 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1126/science.1077998

1095-9203

John O. Stone, G. Balco, David E. Sugden, Marc W. Caffee, Louis Sass, Seth G. Cowdery, C. S. Siddoway,

Cryospheric studies and observations

Surface exposure ages of glacial deposits in the Ford Ranges of western Marie Byrd Land indicate continuous thinning of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet by more than 700 meters near the coast throughout the past 10,000 years. Deglaciation lagged the disappearance of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere by thousands of years and may still be under way. These results provide further evidence that parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet are on a long-term trajectory of decline. West Antarctic melting contributed water to the oceans in the late Holocene and may continue to do so in the future.