A study in Nature reveals glaciers lost 273 billion metric tons of ice annually since 2000, impacting freshwater resources and sea-level rise.
Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.commondreams.org/news/glaciers-melting
Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08545-z
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Assuming constant temperature, would the ice’s melting accelerate or decelerate as the total volume of remaining ice reduces?
I think it would decelerate, as there’s less surface area.
Not that it matters, since the temperature is affected by the ice going away, so it’s an impossible scenario anyways.
Do you think that the average temperature of the ice increases as it melts, decreasing the time it takes for remaining ice to melt?
Only the average temperature of the parts close to the surface, which is why the surface area is so important.
But by reducing the albedo the air gets warmer, which makes the ice melt faster.
Accelerate.
Why do you think that?
The less ice there is the more heat remaining ice can absorb. It would only be true under constant temperature though.
I was under the impression that with the ice shrinking, the surface area decreases. Therefore the contact area between the ice and the surrounding environment also decreases, slowing down the speed of melting. At the same time though the average temperature of the ice will have increased as it melts so the amount of energy required to melt is less, speeding up melting. I might just have to start measuring the speed at which ice cubes melt lmao.