Here is some good news on the Antarctic ice

The Earth rises to an area of ​​Antarctica at one of the fastest rates ever recorded, as the ice disappears quickly and the weight rises from the bedrock, according to a new study.

The results, which appear in the review Science, contain surprising and positive implications for the survival of the Antarctic Ice Sheet of the West (WAIS), which scientists previously thought to be doomed because of the effects of climate change.

The suddenly high rate of Earth's rise could dramatically increase the stability of the ice sheet against the catastrophic collapse due to the loss of ice, scientists say.

"The uplift rate we found is unusual and very surprising.This is a game changer …"

In addition, the rapid rise of the Earth in this area also affects gravity measurements, implying that up to 10 percent more ice has disappeared in this part of the Antarctic than what we had previously assumed.

The researchers used a series of six GPS stations (part of the POLENET-ANET network) attached to the bedrock around the mouth of the Amundsen Sea to measure its increase in response to thinning ice.

The researchers measured the rate of uplift up to 41 millimeters (1.6 inches) per year.

In contrast, researchers have generally found that places like Iceland and Alaska, which many experts consider as examples of rapid uplift rates, increase by 20 to 30 millimeters a year.

"The uplift rate we found is unusual and very surprising.It is a game changer," says Terry Wilson, one of the study's leaders and professor emeritus of science of the land at Ohio State University.

And it's only going to go faster. Researchers estimate that in 100 years, lift rates at GPS sites will be 2.5 to 3.5 times faster than those currently observed.

Below the surface

The researchers imaged the Earth several hundred kilometers under the study area using seismographs deployed in some places such as GPS receivers.

"Our seismic images reveal that the upper mantle beneath the rapidly exhilarating GPS sites is exceptionally hot and fluid, or of low viscosity," says Douglas Wiens, a professor at the University of Washington in St. Louis.

"This is in keeping with the elevated uplift of GPS measurements," says Wiens. "This means that the mantle sinks very rapidly as the weight of the ice cap decreases, rapidly raising the Earth's surface and possibly stabilizing the icecap."

"These findings make an important contribution to our understanding of the Earth's bedrock dynamics, as well as the thinning of Antarctic ice.The large amount of water stored in Antarctica has implications for the entire planet, "says Valentina R. Barletta, lead author of the study, who began this work at Ohio State and is a postdoctoral researcher at the National Space Institute (DTU Space). Denmark.

"The new findings raise the need to improve ice models to get a more accurate picture of what will happen in the future," she says.

Inspiring news

Although modeling studies have shown that bedrock uplift could theoretically protect WAIS from collapse, it was thought that the process would take too long to have practical effects.

"We previously thought that the uprising would occur for thousands of years at a very slow pace, not enough to have a stabilizing effect on the icecap.Our results suggest that the stabilizing effect might only take decades, "says Wilson.

A surprising "hot zone" detected under Antarctica

The biggest practical effect of the uprising can be a rare good news for what is happening in this part of Antarctica because of climate change, Wilson said.

The WAIS plays a key role in the rise in sea level. Estimates suggest that this layer of ice alone accounts for a quarter of the rise in sea level that can be attributed to the disappearance snow and ice.

Some scientists suggest that the WAIS may have passed a tipping point in which ice loss can no longer be stopped, which could be catastrophic, says Wilson. Glaciers contain enough water to raise the sea level up to 4 feet.

The problem is that much of this area of ​​Antarctica is below sea level. Relatively warm ocean water has sank under the bottom of the ice cap, slimming and moving the line of grounding, where water, ice and solid earth meet inland.

The process seemed unstoppable, Wilson said. "But we have found reactions that could slow down or even stop the process."

The rival theories about Antarctica can be true

Although this study offers good news for the Amundsen watercraft, it does not mean that everything is fine in Antarctica.

"The physical geography of Antarctica is very complex – we have found potentially positive feedbacks in this area, but other areas might be different and have negative feedbacks instead," she says. Regardless of feedback, the models suggest that the WAIS will collapse if future global warming is important.

Source: Washington University in St. Louis