Sea Level Rise and Ice Sheets

* Konrad Steffen
* Pacific Science Center, Eames IMAX Theatre
* Wednesday, March 5, 2008, 7:30 - 8:30
* Admission is $5.00. Admission is FREE to Faculty, Staff and Students of the University of Washington, Pacific Science Center Members, and Town Hall Members.

Sea level is currently increasing by 3.5 mm per year. Close to 50% of this increase comes from the glaciers and ice sheets - known as the cryospheric part of sea level rise. In the last century, glaciers have been the dominant part of the cryospheric sea level rise, but now the two large ice sheets Antarctica and Greenland are losing ice at an ever faster rate. What are the mechanism that lead to this ice loss and what are our sea level rise prediction based on the latest findings? The latest results from an expedition in Greenland will be shown, including the first video from water channels inside the Greenland ice sheet.