Alaska’s glaciers have been melting faster than previously thought and are responsible for more meltwater over the last half century than any other spot on Earth, according to a study published in today’s edition of Science. The 10-year study, conducted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, found that meltwater from the state’s glaciers raised global sea levels as much as about one-hundredth of an inch per year during the 1990s. That might not sound like much, but it means that melting Alaskan glaciers have accounted for fully 8 percent of the recent rise in the world’s sea levels. (The Columbia Glacier alone has been losing about 25 feet of height per year and dumping more than 1.8 trillion gallons of water into Columbia Bay.) The findings suggest that scientists might be underestimating how much sea levels will keep rising, which could be very, very bad news for the world’s population living in coastal areas. Is climate change at fault?
