Antarctica is very cold. It would take the West Antarctic Ice Sheet approximately 50,000 years to respond to a temperature change. Changes may take place more quickly in smaller ice shelves and outlet glaciers, particularly those that exist in the warmer parts of Antarctica, such as the Antarctic Peninsula . Studies of Larsen Ice Shelf in western Weddell Sea show that the ice shelf could disappear in 300 years if current temperature trends continue. Global warming may impact Antarctica in other ways, too.
Warmer air can carry more moisture than colder air.
Global changes are predicted for the ocean, too. Ocean structure and flow may change, increasing melting under the floating ice shelves and speeding ice drainage from the outlet glaciers and ice streams. Changes in sea ice extent would alter Antarctica's ecosystem, impacting the animals that depend on sea ice as part of their living space, such as sea-ice algae, penguins, and seals. Cores from the ice sheet provide a record of climate change and ice sheet response. By studying this rich record, WAIS researchers can begin to understand how and why Earth's climate changes and how climate changes impact the ice sheet.