They drilled more than 500 meters into the Antarctic ice... and what they saw down there shouldn’t exist
Scientists have made a significant discovery which has impacted their understanding of the potential effects climate change.
Scientists have made a startling discovery that could have a huge impact on the future of the Earth after drilling more than 500 meters into the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
A recent expedition uncovered a subglacial river which is thought to have been flowing beneath the Ross Ice Shelf for thousands of years. The Ross Ice Shelf plays a crucial role in stabilizing the Antarctic Ice Sheet by slowing the flow of glaciers and ice streams into the ocean, reducing the rate of sea level rise as a result.
The river flowing below the Ice Shelf, which is several hundred meters thick, contains both freshwater and seawater and is reportedly as tall as a 30-storey building and as wide as a city block.
“Lobster-like creatures”
Not that it’s solely made up of water, as expedition leader Huw Horgan explains: “We struck water at the end of the borehole and with the help of our camera, we even discovered a school of lobster-like creatures - 400 kilometers from the open ocean.”
River speeds up sea-level rise
The key discovery made by the research team relates to concerning surges which they estimate occur in the river once every 10 years. These surges, they say, are caused by nearby lakes emptying into the river, which may in turn carve out channels in the ice, accelerate melt and move nutrients that sustain hidden ecosystems.
As a result, the Ross Ice Shelf, which helps regulate sea levels, gets thinner and land-based ice ends up dropping into the ocean, which eventually speeds up sea-level rise.
Understanding the behavior and consequences of such hidden systems plays a key role in helping those in the know prepare for the future and tackle any related problems which may arise.
The effects of rising sea levels
Rising sea levels not only lead to higher tides and more flooding in coastal areas, but also to other less obvious issues, such as food systems coming under strain and an increase in diseases due to changes in the way pathogens move through different species and communities.
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