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Article: CLUES GATHERED FROM A MELTING ICE SHEET IN ANTARCTICA UW RESEARCH RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT RATE OF GLOBAL WARMING, RISE IN WORLD'S OCEANS.(News)
- Article from:
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Article date:
- January 3, 2003
- Author:
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Byline: LISA STIFFLER P-I reporter
A vast Antarctic ice sheet could melt away in 7,000 years, possibly raising sea levels around the world by 16 feet, a study by University of Washington scientists has found.
And global warming could hasten the process.
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet, covering 360,000 square miles, started melting thousands of years before mankind began burning coal and oil - a "natural" rate that has held steady over the centuries, according to the study.
"If we make the world warmer, it will very likely accelerate the melting rate," said John Stone, lead author of the study and a glacial geologist with the UW's ...