A newly discovered sub-Glacial water network plays an important role in the way in which Antarctic ice caps move to the ocean. By using advanced computer models, researchers have mapped the hidden plumbing system under the antarctic ice cap, revealing how water canals influence the speed of the glacier and contribute to Sea level.
The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, underlines the importance of underglacial hydrology in the formation of ice dynamics. “The model revealed that the lowest effective pressures are inside the continent and under the exit glaciers along the edge of the ice cap,” noted the researchers. This means that ice is changing faster, which raises concerns about the long -term stability of the Capper from western Antarctica.
How water under ice redesigns Antarctica
Deep under the antarctic ice, water -underwater actively modifies the movement of the glaciers. The study, led by Shivani Ehrenfeuchtglaciologist at Georgia Institute of Technologycombines two calculation models to better understand how Sub-Glacial Water Networks Influence the movement of the Antarctic glacial cap.
The researchers merged the model of the glacier drainage system, which follows the movement of water under ice caps, with the model of ice cream and sea system, which simulates how the glaciers circulate and change in response to climatic factors. The result is a complete card of the Hidden Water Systems of Antarctica, showing how the underground channels shape the ice flow.
Neil RossGeophysicist at Newcastle University Who was not involved in the study, explains that the new model allows scientists “to identify where the water is under the ice, or the model where the water is under the ice, where it is particularly thick and Pressures are high enough to allow ice to slide and run faster. »»
The link between ice shelves and acceleration of melting
The study also highlights the critical role of Antarctic floating ice shelveswhich act like natural barriers slowing the movement of the ice to the ocean. However, these shelves found at an alarming pace, weakening their ability to retain glaciers.
“If these ice platforms melt, more ice could flow from the foundation in the ocean and contribute to the elevation of sea level,” noted researchers. A lot of newly identified subglacial channels Align with areas where ice shelves are already thinning due to Hot ocean currents, suggesting that the freshwater flow of these channels could accelerate the loss of ice.
The model predicted precisely the locations of several Sub-Glacial lakes In the west of Antarctica, as well as large underground canals which transport a melted ice to the ocean. Some of these channels suggest that researchers can contribute to the rapid fusion rates observed along the Amundsen sea couplingA region is already experiencing an important glacial retreat.
An urgent warning for the future
Current projections believe that the loss of antarctic ice could increase the world level of the sea 30 centimeters (12 inch) by 2100. This new study suggests that the process could occur faster than expected, as the presence of large groundwater networks could accelerate the movement of ice to the ocean.
Rupert Gladstoneglaciologist at University of Lapland in Finlandexplains that as the sub-glacial pressure decreases, the ice becomes more mobile. “As it approaches zero, we approach the situation where the ice is fundamentally free, floating at the base of water,” he said.
The discovery of this Hidden Antarctic plumbing system is a major breakthrough in glacial research, enlightening the way in which the dynamics of sub-Glacial water influences the future of glacial caps. Scientists now plan to carry out other studies in the field to verify the predictions of the model and determine if there are similar sub-Glacial water networks in other polar regions.
The study is published in Geophysical research letters.