Transcripts of PIG_drilling_first_results_youtube_hq



[music] Narrator: The Pine Island Glacier has been called the weak underbelly of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. It’s large, thinning rapidly, and is a major area of focus for researchers concerned with contributions to sea level rise from shrinking ice sheets and glaciers. For years satellites and airborne missions have been observing changes in both the upstream ice flow and the glacier’s floating ice shelf. One of the major factors affecting the ice is the comparatively warm water circulating in Pine Island Bay. This water can eat away at the ice shelf from below. But until now, we haven't had direct measurements of how warm the water is or how fast that ice is melting. After five years of study and preparation, an international team of researchers has drilled through 500 meters of ice to install a series of instruments below the ice shelf to measure both ice loss and the temperature, salinity, and speed of the water. At one location, they found melt rates of more than 2 inches per day. Scientists will continue to analyze the data from these instruments to learn more about seasonal changes in the interaction of ocean and ice. 

[beep beep, beep beep]