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Scientists studying Antarctic ice behavior have obtained help from native wildlife as part of a new study on the causes of the formation of huge holes in the ice sheets. The research, published this month in Nature, tried to explain the development of a huge fault in the ice of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, appeared in 2016 and persisted all the following year.
These holes, known as polynya, have long left scientists perplexed. They apparently formed at random, but a team of researchers from the University of Washington recruited unique assistants to get to the bottom of things.
"We thought that this wide hole in the pack ice – called polynya – was a rare thing, perhaps a process that had disappeared. But the events of 2016 and 2017 have forced us to re-evaluate that, "said lead author Ethan Campbell in a statement. "The observations show that recent polynyas were caused by a combination of factors, one being unusual ocean conditions and the other, a series of very intense storms that swept the Weddell Sea with strong winds. almost hurricane.
Using data from satellites, weather stations and seals equipped with antennas to track their movement, the researchers found that the circulation of ocean water was probably responsible for the formation of ice. Surface water disturbed by high winds is cooled and then sinks, causing the water to rise slightly warmer below. This keeps the water running, preventing the ice from forming.
"It's basically a whole ocean reversal, rather than surface water injection in a one-way trip from surface to depth," says co-author Earle Wilson.
The seals, which helped the researchers by providing data on ocean conditions when swimming in the waters of the polynya, could not be contacted for comment.
Source of image: Malcolm Schuyl / Flpa / imageBROKER / Shutterstock
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