https://sputniknews.com/science/201902021072056239-antarctica-glacier-climate-change/
[links in online article]
NASA Makes 'Disturbing' Find Under Antarctic Glacier
02.02.2019
The Thwaites Glacier, which is approximately the size of Florida, is
currently responsible for about 4 percent of the global rise in sea
levels; it holds enough ice to raise the worlds' oceans by more than
65cm if it melts.
NASA scientists have discovered a massive cavity at the bottom of the
remote Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, which covers an area two-thirds
the size of Manhattan and which they described as a "disturbing" sign of
climate change, according to their study, which was published by the
journal Science Advances.
The researchers used ice-penetrating radar and new satellites capable of
high-resolution data to find the 300-metre (1,000-foot) tall cavity,
that was "big enough to have contained 14 billion tons of ice—and most
of that ice melted over the last three years".
The study's lead author Pietro Milillo of NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) pointed out that "[the size of] a cavity under a
glacier plays an important role in melting and that "as more heat and
water get under the glacier, it melts faster".
"On the eastern side of the glacier, the grounding-line retreat proceeds
through small channels, maybe a kilometre wide, like fingers reaching
beneath the glacier to melt it from below", he said.
According to JPL, the discovery underscores the need for detailed
observations of Antarctic glaciers' undersides to calculate "how fast
global sea levels will rise in response to climate change".
Milillo was echoed by Eric Rignot, one of the co-authors of the study,
who said that the scientists have "suspected for years that Thwaites was
not tightly attached to the bedrock beneath it" and that a new
generation of satellites had helped them "finally see the detail".
"Understanding the details of how the ocean melts away this glacier is
essential to project its impact on sea level rise in the coming
decades", he underscored.
The study specifically noted that the Thwaites Glacier holds enough ice
to raise the world ocean level "a little over 2 feet (65 centimetres)".
What's more, the ice formation has been described as a 'door stop',
preventing nearby glaciers from sliding towards the sea.
--
Darryl McMahon
Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems)
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