An unpublished discovery in Antarctica

The melting of ice at the poles is a clear sign of climate change, and it even allows the unprecedented detection of active water flows. In this case, a group of researchers from Imperial College London discovered a river under the ice of North America Antarctica Resulting in the acceleration of ice loss.

Regarding its properties, it contains a The approximate length is 460 kilometres, which is greater than the distance between Madrid and Alicante, and even rivers like the Thames. The discovery took place in a practically inaccessible region of Antarctica, namely in East and West Antarctica, which reaches the Weddell Sea. Key to this discovery was the use of airborne radar sensors that could peer through the ice.

“Now we begin to understand that there Entire systems below are interconnected by vast river networksas it could be if there weren’t thousands of meters of ice on top,” explained scientist Martin Siegert, one of the research authors and scientist at Imperial College London. In addition, he stated that this river system could be the reason for the melting of this part of Antarctica. Southern.

He explained that “the amount of this ice that is melting and the speed of its melting is related to how far the ice base slides.” In fact, the significance of this study is that in the reference area of ​​the study there will be enough ice to raise The global sea level is more than four metres. The team leading the investigation is already working to find out if there are more rivers under the ice.

On the other hand, the study indicates that Antarctica is melting at the base Ice sheets, which in turn cause the formation of these rivers. The formation of fresh water, if it is under high pressure, can speed up the melting process because the base of the glacier becomes unstable. The four glaciers that support the river system are the Institute Ice Stream, Mӧller Ice Stream, Support Force Glacier, and Foundation Ice Stream/Academy Glacier.

This investigation comes months after NASA Earth Observatorydiscover that a A large area of ​​sea ice was cutting off the Antarctic Peninsula After more than 10 years they landed on the coast. Scientists pointed to the possibility that the Australian summer, which was hot and humid, was the cause of this melt.

The reappearance of the largest iceberg in the world

At the beginning of the month, what is considered the largest iceberg in the world appeared in the Drake Passage. The so-called A-76A iceberg appeared in Mar de Hoeques, the stretch of sea that separates South America from Antarctica. Currently, it is located about 500 kilometers north of its natural location. main glacier A -76 It separated from the rune ice in Antarctica in May 2021.

According to the data provided by the institutionWaterAntarctica is the part of the Earth that suffers the most from global warming. The average surface temperature of the planet since the end of the 19th century has increased by 1.1 ° C. A change that has occurred so far as a result of carbon dioxide increase, and others air emissions Man-made. In Antarctica, for example, the climate has increased by 3°C, according to this basis.