Glaciers moving faster than expected

LONDON, June 6 (UPI) -- British scientists have determined hundreds of previously unstudied glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are flowing faster than expected.

The British Antarctic Survey said that movement adds to sea level rise caused by climate warming that's already producing increased summer snow melt and ice shelf retreat across the Antarctic Peninsula.

Using satellite data, scientists tracked the flow rate of more than 300 glaciers and found a 12 percent increase in glacier speed from 1993 to 2003. The observations -- similar to recent findings from coastal Greenland -- indicate the increased speed is caused by melting of the lower glaciers, which flow directly into the sea. As they thin, the buoyancy of the ice can lift the glaciers from their rock beds, allowing them to slide faster.

The research is detailed in the Journal of Geophysical Research.