Ice Loss in Antarctica Causes Dip in Earth's Gravity (VIDEO)

It turns out that Earth's gravity may have experienced some changes in the past few years--and it can be blamed on melting ice. ESA's GOCE satellite has shown that ice lost from West Antarctica has caused our planet's gravity to shift slightly.

The strength of gravity on Earth's surface varies from place to place due to the planet's rotation and the position of mountains and ocean trenches. This means that changes in the Earth's ice sheets can also alter gravity.

In this case, high-resolution measurements from GOCE over Antarctica between November 2009 and June 2012 have shown that there have indeed been alterations in gravity. The decrease in the mass of ice during this period was mirrored in GOCE measurements, even though the mission was not designed to detect changes over time.

The scientists found that the loss if ice from West Antarctica between 2009 and 2012 caused a dip in the gravity field over the region.

In the future, GOCE data could be used to help validate satellite altimetry measurements for an even clearer understanding of ice-sheet change. As Antarctica as a whole continues to shrink, it's important to monitor this region and any changes that may be occurring.

"We are now working in an interdisciplinary team to extend the analysis of GOCE's data to all of Antarctica," said Johannes Bouman, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This will help us gain further comparison with results from CryoSat for an even more reliable picture of actual changes in ice mass."

The findings reveal how changes in ice sheets can impact other systems. Yet they also show that GOCE can be an effective tool that researchers can continue to use in the future.

The findings are published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The animation below, based on measurements from ESA's GOCE satellite and the NASA-German Grace mission, shows that ice lost from West Antarctica has caused a dip in Earth's gravity.