A revelation suggests that the East Antarctic Ice Sheet did not observe any significant melting during the Pliocene, around 5 million years ago, when the Carbon Dioxide concentration levels were comparably high to what they are at present.
According to Jane K. Willenbring, an assistant professor of Penn's School of Arts & Sciences in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, the Pliocene is considered to be a basis for what the Earth will be like if Global Warming continues.
As per the indications from the current climate change projections, the marine portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has been severely affected and as the ice melts, the sea level will rise. However, the Ice Sheet in the East Antarctic Zone is 20 times more massive.
As the East Antarctic Ice Sheet has remained far more stable in the last 14 million years, the ice sheet may not witness a massive collapse. However, with the temperatures rising at such levels, any conclusion can be expected.
Image Credit: livescience.com