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Sabadini et al. 2002
Sabadini, R., Di Donato, G., Vermeersen, L.L.A., Devoti, R., Luceri, V. and Bianco, G. (2002). Ice mass loss in Antarctica and stiff lower mantle viscosity inferred from the long wavelength time dependent gravity field. Geophysical Research Letters 29: doi: 10.1029/2001GL014016. issn: 0094-8276.

Long wavelength time variations of the gravity field detected by means of laser tracking of geodetic satellites provide nowadays the unique opportunity to infer simultaneously the upper and lower mantle viscosity and the mass imbalance between ice accumulation and loss in Antarctica and Greenland. Here we show that mantle viscosity inversion based on stratified viscoelastic Earth models of the Pleistocene deglaciation, on two independent Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) solutions for the even and odd zonal components of the geopotential and on True Polar Wander (TPW), indicate that present day ice mass loss in Antarctica amounts to about -250 Gt/yr, equivalent to a global sea level rise of 0.7 mm/yr, and that the lower mantle is more viscous than the upper mantle. The odd zonals of the two SLR solutions and TPW indicate two admissible upper mantle viscosities, close to 1020 Pa s and to 1021 Pa s respectively.

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Abstract

Keywords
Tectonophysics, Dynamics of lithosphere and mantle--general, Tectonophysics, Earth's interior--composition and state, Tectonophysics, Rheology--mantle
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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