The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is the most vulnerable region of the continent and has the potential to contribute several meters of sea-level rise in just a few centuries at higher temperatures. When warm water flows over the continental shelf, it can erode the ice from its base and produce instabilities in the ice sheet. Over time, these instabilities can lead to widespread melting and collapse, triggering rapid sea-level rise. Dr. Florence Colleoni is the main presenter for this session. She is a paleoclimate and ice sheet modeler at the Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics and serves as Co-Chief Officer of the new SCAR scientific research program INSTANT (Instabilities and Thresholds in Antarctica).
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