In a unique study spanning the entire continent, scientists have found that water is gushing across Antarctica — more than they ever realized.

The researchers from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have found significant drainage of meltwater flowing across the continent’s ice sheets during summer in Antarctica. Until now, these streams of water were mainly associated only with Antarctica’s far north regions.

The discovery of widespread streams across the continent is ominous news, indicating Antarctica’s ice may be much more vulnerable to melting than scientists predicted. Free-flowing water, which absorbs solar energy more than ice, puts nearby ice at greater risk of melting.

“I think most polar scientists have considered water moving across the surface of Antarctica to be extremely rare. But we found a lot of it, over very large areas,” Jonathan Kingslake, a glaciologist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and lead author of the study, said in a statement. 

“This is not in the future — this is widespread now, and has been for decades,” he said. The research was published this week in the journal Nature.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/water-streaming-across-antarctica-ice-sheets-melting/




 

Last edited by tennyson (11/26/2017 4:16 pm)