Melting ice makes the force of the Earth weaken

The large loss of ice in the West of Antarctica shows signs of weakening the gravity of the earth in this area.

Gravity map made by GOCE satellites in 2013 - (Photo: DGFI)

According to a report published in the Geophysical Research Letters, Earth gravity fluctuates with mass changes, and when the thick ice mass dissipates, the gravitational force acting on the area is reduced.

In order to draw the above conclusion, experts were led by Dr. Johannes Bouman of the German Institute of Geodesy and used the data collected by the European Space Agency (ESA) GOCE satellites during the actual process. The mission now lasts 4 years to map Earth gravity.

The GOCE suction force map is combined with the gravity measurements recorded by GRACE satellite group, a US-German mission that tracks the Earth through gravity.

Combining information from both satellite systems allows experts to accurately measure the amount of ice lost in the West South Pole.

Accordingly, the region lost about 230 billion tons of ice per year between 2009 and 2012.

The next mission of Mr. Bounman's team is to analyze the mass of melted ice in all regions of Antarctica.