Final answer:
The mass of Antarctic ice is expected to decrease in the future due to global climate change. This will contribute to an increase in sea levels and change in the earth's albedo, resulting in further global warming. Complete melting could raise sea levels by up to 70 meters.
Step-by-step explanation:
Predictions regarding the mass of the Antarctic ice in the future suggest a progressive decline due to factors associated with global climate change. As the world experiences warming temperatures, the melting of polar ice caps, particularly in Antarctica, is expected to accelerate. This ice sheet, more than a mile thick, holds about 70 percent of the earth's fresh water. An increase in permaf_rost temperature has also been observed, indicating more susceptibility to thawing.
The loss of this ice would not only contribute to a rise in sea levels, potentially inundating coastal regions and low-lying areas, but would also affect the earth's albedo. Light-colored surfaces like snow and ice reflect more radiation, hence their reduction means more absorption of solar radiation by the Earth, exacerbating warming trends. The calculations based on ice volumes suggest daunting increases in sea levels: approximately 70 meters for the complete melting of the Antarctic ice sheet, and around 8 meters for Greenland's ice sheet.