Australian scientists record accelerating glacier loss on sub-Antarctic Heard Island
The World Heritage-listed sub-Antarctic island, 4,100 kilometres south-west of Perth, is considered one of the most pristine places on the planet and a haven for wildlife.
It's also home to the tallest mountain in Australia's external territories — a 2,745-metre-high active volcano called Big Ben, which is 517 metres taller than Mt Kosciuszko on the mainland.
But scientists from Monash University's Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) research centre said glacier coverage on the island was undergoing accelerating decline.
The research team used topographic maps and satellite imagery to identify changes to 29 glaciers on the island between 1947 and 2019.
The study showed the loss of 64 square kilometres of glacier coverage over the 72-year period — a 22 per cent decline.
The team said the rate of ice loss after 1988 was double that seen beforehand.
The reduction in the island's glaciers occurred as temperatures in the area increased by 0.7 degrees Celcius.
"While Heard Island is just about as remote as it's possible to be on Earth, it has still suffered profound consequences from climate warming, which is almost certainly due to rising greenhouse gas emissions in the 20th and 21st centuries," Dr Tielidze said.
"The island's location in the Southern Ocean makes it a key part of the global climate system and an important indicator of the planet's health.
The study has been published in the academic journal, The Chryosphere, ahead of a planned research voyage to Heard Island and nearby McDonald Island in late September.
The RSV Nuyina will take almost two weeks to sail from Hobart to the remote islands, where science teams, including glaciologists, will conduct research for about 10 days.
It will be the first Australian Antarctic Program voyage to the islands in almost 20 years, and will be followed up with a second voyage there in December.
Professor Andrew Mackintosh, from Monash University, said the mission would allow researchers to better understand the impact of glacier retreat on the island's mountain biodiversity.
"We'll explore two possible futures — one where strong action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and another where little is done and emissions continue as usual," Professor Mackintosh said.
"Although this mapping shows stark glacier retreat and further ice loss is unavoidable, whether we retain glaciers or lose most of them entirely is up to humans and the greenhouse gas emission pathway we follow.
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