There’s not enough data yet to conclude that polar ice caps are melting at alarming, long-term rates, according to a new study.
Research led by the University of Colorado’s Bert Wouters, published in Nature Geoscience, concluded that more, continuous satellite monitoring of the ice sheets has to be done before scientists can conclude that this melting is here to stay.
“However, at present there is no scientific consensus on whether these reported accelerations result from variability inherent to the ice-sheet–climate system, or reflect long-term changes and thus permit extrapolation to the future,” Wouters’ team wrote.
There’s evidence that polar ice caps are losing mass and adding to rising sea levels.
But Wouters’ team can’t say, for certain, that forces – such as global warming – are causing that loss.
Researchers need years more satellite data to conclude that the melting isn’t part of a natural cold-hot-cold cycle.
“Therefore, climate variability adds uncertainty to extrapolations of future mass loss and sea-level rise, underscoring the need for continuous long-term satellite monitoring,” according to the team.