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Science 24 June 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5730, pp. 1877 - 1878
DOI: 10.1126/science.1114670
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Perspectives

OCEANS:
How Does the Antarctic Ice Sheet Affect Sea Level Rise?

David G. Vaughan

Global sea levels are predicted to rise as a result of global warming, but many contributions to this sea level rise are poorly understood. The contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet is particularly uncertain. In his Perspective, Vaughan highlights the report by Davis et al., who have used satellite data to compile an 11-year record of surface elevation change in Antarctica. The resulting maps show that the ice sheet is thickening in some areas and thinning in others. Vaughan cautions that the complex patterns of change in Antarctica preclude prediction of which effect will dominate in the future.

The author is with the British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK. E-mail: dgv{at}bas.ac.uk

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