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To measure ice loss at the poles and predict what might happen next, scientists need data as accurate as possible – and a new study suggests that there is a great source of geothermal heat in East Antarctica that we do not have yet. taken into account in our calculations.
The ice in this area appears to be melting downward, according to radar surveys by an aircraft flying over the frozen continent. The radar was able to penetrate through three kilometers (almost two miles) of ice to map the underlying conditions.
As the base of the Antarctic Ice Sheet melts, meltwater flows and fills subglacial lakes downstream.
Although this process is not a major factor in ice loss at this time, the international team of scientists says it could lead to a faster melting in the future, as water and ice can escape more easily.
"The fusion process we are observing has probably lasted for thousands, if not millions of years, and does not contribute directly to the change of the ice sheet," said lead researcher Tom Jordan of the British Antarctic Survey ( LOW).
"However, in the future, additional amounts of water in the ice cover could make this region more sensitive to external factors such as climate change."
The team of experts believes that radioactive rocks and warm water springing from the earth's crust contribute to this additional melt, based on observations made up to 750 km from the coast.
Read more: Beautiful photos show daily life in Antarctic research stations
Without the latest radar technology, we would only have surface observations to trigger. The PolarGAP project that this research is part of is designed to fill some of the gaps left by the GOCE satellite readings, now in retirement.
As you may remember, data from GOCE – Ocean Circulation Explorer in the state of equilibrium and equilibrium – were used to map the terrain under the radar. Antarctica in a study published earlier this month by measuring slight fluctuations in gravitational attraction.
It is essential to be able to map the hidden contours and major sources of heat beneath the ice cap to determine the future of Antarctica in the coming years.
And now, the PolarGAP project has provided key observations as part of this mission. We can not be sure of what causes the melting, but the hypothesis of hot rocks and heated water seems to be most likely – what future studies may take into account.
This is not the only heat source recently discovered in Antarctica either. A study published last year suggests that a significant amount of underground heating is underway in West Antarctica, possibly melting the ice faster than it can be. ;accumulate.
In July, scientists announced they discovered another source of volcanic heat under Antarctica, this time under the Pine Island Glacier.
It is interesting to repeat that scientists do not suggest that these heat sources will suddenly turn Antarctica into water in a few years, but these are additional factors to consider when we measure the current effects of climate change.
Given that geothermal heat sources, such as the one recently identified, have existed for a very long time, we are not wrong to cause an accelerated melting of ice at the North and South poles.
The next step is to determine how these hot rocks could affect the ice of the future.
"It was a really exciting project, exploring one of the last completely unheard of regions on the planet," Jordan said. "Our results were quite unexpected because many people thought that this Antarctic region was made of old and cold rocks, which had little impact on the ice cap above."
"We show that even in the old continental interior, the underlying geology can have a significant impact on the ice."
The search was published in Scientific reports.
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