Stark warning issued over Antarctic Ice Sheet that is ‘on verge of collapsing’

Scientists say its collapse would cause irreversible damage.

The body contains approximately 750,000 cubic miles of ice and is at risk of completely collapsing.

Scientists have said this could cause irreversible damage to the world.

This is because the natural feature may cause sea levels to rise massively.

Scientists have further warned that global warming could take its toll on several countries.

Author of the study, David Chandler recently spoke at Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE) about the start of the collapse,

He said that 'all it would take is 'as little as 0.25°C deep ocean warming above present-day can trigger the start of a collapse.'

"With our present-day climate, the transition to the collapsed state will be slow, maybe 1,000 years, but it will likely be much faster if there is additional global warming," he added.

As a result, coastal towns and cities could end up flooded, and small islands may be forced underwater.

Speaking to MailOnline, Chandler explained: "Both East and West Antarctica have really thick ice—well over 3km (2 miles), even 4.9km (3 miles) at its thickest,

"West Antarctica is important for two reasons; first, if even a small fraction of all that ice melts, it will cause devastating sea-level rise."

He further added that the ice sheet influences climate itself, so if it were to melt, many countries, including those in Europe, may be affected.

The study included academics from the UK and Germany, with ran model simulations through glacial cycles that took place in the past 800,000 years or so.

"In the past 800,000 years, the Antarctic Ice Sheet has had two stable states that it has repeatedly tipped between," continued Chandler.

"One, with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in place, is the state we are currently in. The other state is where the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has collapsed."

He said if the collapse were to happen, it would be 'practically irreversible'.