LONDON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A researcher from the University of Cambridge is set to lead a joint UK-US project examining a massive Antarctic glacier, the university announced on Monday.
The project is part of a new research collaboration between the two countries, and scientists from the two sides will gather the data needed to understand whether the glacier's collapse could begin in the next few decades or centuries.
The collapse of the Thwaites Glacier in west Antarctica could significantly affect global sea levels. It already drains an area roughly the size of Britain or the U.S. state of Florida, accounting for around four percent of global sea-level rise.
The UK Natural Environment Research Council and the U.S. National Science Foundation have jointly funded eight large-scale projects that will bring together leading polar scientists in one of the most inhospitable regions of the planet.
Dr Poul Christoffersen from the University of Cambridge's Scott Polar Research Institute is co-leading one of the eight projects with Professor Slawek Tulaczyk from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The team will investigate how the margins of the drainage basin will evolve and influence ice flow over the coming decades.
"These margins have so far never been studied directly, due to the logistical challenges of working in such a remote region of Antarctica," said Christoffersen.
Antarctica's glaciers contribute to sea-level rise when more ice is lost to the ocean than is replaced by snow. To fully understand the causes of changes in ice flow requires research on the ice itself, the nearby ocean, and the Antarctic climate in the region.
