Two major Antarctic glaciers are tearing loose from their restraints, scientists say – The Washington Post

The new findings, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, come from analysis of satellite images. They show that a naturally occurring buffer system that prevents the glaciers from flowing outward rapidly is breaking down, potentially unleashing far more ice into the sea in coming years.
The glaciers shear margins, where their floating ice shelves encounter high levels of friction that constrain the natural flow of ice, are progressively weakening and in some ca…

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