A team of researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle found that rock fragments were left behind by glaciers that disappeared over 10,000 years ago, according to the study out Friday in the latest issue of Science.

"This work establishes a background pattern of steady decline in the West Antarctic ice sheet," said John Stone, an associate professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington.

According to Stone, the 360,000 square miles (932,000 square km) of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, would completely melt away in another 7,000 years if the current rate of melting holds.

But "a rapid melting event that released even a small fraction of this amount could have disastrous consequences for coastal regions," Stone said.

The ice sheet, about the size of France and Italy combined, contains enough water to raise global sea levels by about five percent, the study said.

SPACE.WIRE