Antarctica's second largest ice shelf could shrink dramatically

Before the end of the century, rising temperatures could trigger an influx of warm water beneath Antarctica’s second-largest ice shelf – and once it begins, researchers say there’s ‘no going back.’ The phenomenon would cause the ice to lose contact with the seafloor, which has so far acted as a natural brake to slow the ice flow. Scientists say they've already detected the first signs of the process, and once underway, it will cause the ice to shed at a much faster rate, dramatically shrinking the massive Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf.

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