Reducing sea level rise now and for future generations
Mission
Evaluating possible responses to the effects of global warming through socially acceptable research.
Vision
A world where small island states and coastal livelihoods are protected and sea level rise is addressed at the source.
About Our Work
Currently, ice sheets cover 10% of the Earth’s surface. If this ice melts during the critical steps of emission reductions and removal of excess greenhouse gasses, coastal communities and small islands will disappear, freshwater sources will be contaminated, and food security will decrease.
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is particularly vulnerable to disintegration and melting, especially at Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers, because they rest on ground below sea level. As they melt, the influx of warm ocean water has access to even more ice at deeper depths that is even easier to melt.
Losing these glaciers could lead to the melting of the rest of the WAIS, which could in turn cause oceans to rise by five meters. In that case, ocean rise will flood every coastal city on the planet and submerge entire island nations. In the more immediate future, each inch of sea level rise increases the intensity of storm surges and the infiltration of salt water into coastal ecosystems. To defend against this outcome, the Exploratory Antarctic Ice Preservation Working Group aims to answer the following question: Can global sea level rise due to climate change be slowed at its source?
Stopping the melt at its source will be far less costly than trying to address sea level rise at every vulnerable coast on the planet.
Members of the Ice Preservation Group are using their interdisciplinary skills in glaciology, technology, and policy to expand global knowledge about glaciers and achieve the mission of reducing global sea level rise.
To learn more, contact us at info@icepreservation.org.
Contact Us
Questions or comments? Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@icepreservation.org or using the form below.