Over 250 meter high giant ice channels beneath an Antarctic ice shelf have been discovered by scientists. These giant ice channels can help predict the future of Antarctic ice.
These giant channels were discovered by researchers from the University of Exeter, Newcastle University, the University of Bristol, the University of Edinburgh, the British Antarctic Survey and the University of York. Researchers speculate that these channels will affect the stability of Antarctic ice and also help them predict how the ice sheet will respond to future climatic and environmental changes.
The ice channels were discovered under an Antarctic ice shelf with the help of satellite images and airborne radar measurements. Owing to the fact that the ice sheet floats at different heights depending on its thickness, the ice channels are visible underneath as well as on the surface of the Antarctic ice sheets.
Though similar magnitude channels have been observed previously, this is the first time the channels have been attributed to melt-water existing within the grounded ice sheet. Previously, channels of this size were formed through purely oceanic process. Researchers of this discovery claim that these channels will also help them better understand how melt-water flows at the base of an inaccessible kilometer-thick ice sheet.
"If we are to understand the behavior of the ice sheet, and its contribution to changes in sea level, we need to fully understand the role of water at the base of the ice sheet," Dr Anne Le Brocq from the University of Exeter, said in a press statement. "The information gained from these newly discovered channels will enable us to understand more fully how the water system works and how the ice sheet will behave in the future."
Researches also speculated that the path of melt-water flowing under the part of the ice was in contact with the ice sheet. They also found that the flow paths of this melt-water lined up with the channels under the ice shelf at the point where the ice starts to float.
This discovery led researchers to conclude that the water flow beneath the grounded ice sheet is responsible for the formation of the ice channels beneath the floating ice shelf. The melt-water flowing under the ice sheet causes a cloud of ocean water when it comes in contact with the ocean beneath the ice sheet to shoot up. This water then melts out the vast channels under the ice shelf.
Previously, researchers believed that water flowed in a thin layer beneath the ice sheets but current findings reveal that water beneath the Antarctic ice sheet actually flows in a more focused manner, like river waters.
Findings of this study were published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
