University of Houston researcher Pietro Milillo, who uses remote imaging techniques to study glacial melting rates, in his office at the university Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022 in Houston, TX.Pietro Milillo spends his days dissecting a map of red, green and blue.
“We are the first generation that is seeing this kind of effect and the last generation that can do something about it,” Milillo said, paraphrasing a quote from former President Barack Obama. “It’s a really pressing topic, not only for myself but also for our kids and future generations.”Milillo now has eyes on up to 50 glaciers, many of them retreating at higher rates than ever recorded.
“Grounding lines and ice shelves are the gatekeepers of Antarctica,” he said. “If you don’t have ice shelves, the glaciers will completely flow faster and in this specific area, they will collapse.” At the worst, if all ice above floatation in Antarctica melted, the global sea level would go up by 58 meters, or 190 feet on average – meaning some areas would see higher, Milillo said. That would have dire effects on coastal populations: About 267 million people worldwide live on land less than 2 meters, or 6.6 feet above sea level.“It’s bad news," he said. “But my opinion is, if it’s bad news, it’s better to know than to be ignorant about it.