Scientists participating in the 8th National Antarctic Science Expedition, organized under the auspices of the Presidency and the Ministry of Industry and Technology and coordinated by TÜBİTAK MAM Polar Research Institute, have reported a substantial amount of melting in snow and glacier areas comparable to the size of Türkiye.
The expedition, focused on studying the effects of global climate change, involved evaluating data collected over the past three years using various technological tools and methods to monitor ice.
Using fixed Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations on Horseshoe Island, where Türkiye's scientific research camp is situated, scientists observed changes in atmospheric water vapor, sea ice and snow levels, attributing increases in water vapor to global climate change.
Utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite-based measurement methods, scientists documented significant melting in snow and glacier areas. Initial results from UAV imaging on Horseshoe Island indicate an average decrease of 7 cubic meters in snow and glacier areas of approximately 100 square meters between 2022 and 2023.
The findings also reveal a similar loss of approximately 11% on an area basis, indicating significant melting in just one year. This melting has led to the formation of various glacier crevices and puddles, releasing more water into the atmosphere. Scientists warn that if glaciers continue to melt at this rate, global climate change will accelerate due to increased water vapor and greenhouse gas concentrations.
The continuation of the rapid increase in global climate change means that glaciers, which are freshwater sources, will melt and disappear into the sea.
Professor Burcu Özsoy, coordinator of the 8th National Antarctic Science Expedition, informed Anadolu Agency (AA) that Antarctica is experiencing not only a decline in sea ice but also a significant loss of glaciers. She stated: "This issue is often highlighted in the news, with reports of massive ice masses breaking off the land and merging into the ocean. We monitor glacier areas at latitude 68 south, detecting yearly retreats and changes by surveying with equipment, drones and GNSS stations."
Özsoy emphasized that their findings were based on years of collected data, indicating visible losses. "Alongside these changes, there are substantial glacier losses. If we extrapolate the measurements from the last three years to the entirety of Antarctica, the ice lost in these three years alone equals the entire ice loss of Antarctica. Considering the ice loss since 1999, we can say that an ice mass the size of Türkiye has disappeared in the last three years," she explained.
Professor Fahri Karabulut, a research assistant at Yıldız Technical University and participant of the 8th National Antarctic Science Expedition, within the scope of bilateral cooperation, explained that they were carrying out studies to quantitatively reveal the melting of glaciers in Antarctica within the scope of the project they carried out with Bulgarian researchers under the leadership of professor Mahmut Oğuz Selbesoğlu.
Stating that they used drones for measurements, Karabulut continued: "With the orthophotos obtained after the flights, we determined that there was a decrease of approximately 10% in the area of the glaciers. In addition to such an areal loss, we can determine that the crevices have opened, as we understand from the glaciers. By calculating the opening of these crevices, we can determine how much loss there is per year and detect that there is a shift. In addition to visual observation, we also demonstrate the melting numerically. As a result of this study, we can observe the results of global warming by seeing and measuring them very closely."
