West Antarctic Ice Sheet
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet covers lesser Antarctica. It could be vulnerable to collable, which would cause a sudden rise in sea levels of up to 7 metres.
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According to some estimates the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) comprises in excess of 3.2 million cubic kilometres of ice and is positioned over a marine basin. Based on studies of sites where earlier and similar ice sheets once existed in the northern hemisphere, it is feared that this sort of sheet may be inclined to a relatively rapid collapse. Another factor to consider is the existence of a few active volcanoes in the region.
The WAIS is one of 12 giant natural systems which moderate our planet's climate and that could have severe repercussions if any of them were to be disrupted. The North Atlantic Current, Sahara Desert, Amazon Basin Jungle and Asian Monsoon are included in this dangerous dozen.
