Ridges of dirt and rock underneath massive glaciers are believed to create "friction zones" that slow down the ice's path towards the sea.
The researchers said the ridges act as the no-slip strips that people place on the floor to keep from falling on smooth or wet surfaces, a Princeton University news release reported.
The glacial strips were dubbed "Tiger Stripes" after Princeton's big cat mascot.
The team used "mathematical modeling based on data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the British Antarctic Survey" and found the tiger stripes tend to pop up in the "largest and slipperiest" glacial regions.
The researchers set out to discover what factors dictate the movement of these giant ice sheets, which can affect sea levels. They focused on the Pine Island Glacier and the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, which are believed to be responsible for 10 percent of the sea-level-elevation that has taken place over the last two decades.
The pine island glacier is believed to move at a speed of 1.5 miles per year.
It is nearly impossible to see through the mile-and-a-half thick ice to the ridges on the ground, but the team was able to use satellite measurements and radar to make their conclusion.
Through Sergienko mathematical model created from the data, the team determined the tiger stripes were extremely important in controlling the rate at which glacial ice moved into the ocean. They believe the stripes took between 50 and 100 years to develop.
"The ribs may play an important role in buffering the effects of a warming climate, since they slow the movement of ice that reaches the ocean and contributes to sea-level rise," Olga Sergienko, an associate research scientist in Princeton's Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences . "These changes can happen independently of climate change, too."
Further investigation will be required in order to determine the ribs' formations.
"Our guess is that these ribs are related to typical landforms that exist in the formerly glaciated areas of North America and Europe," Richard Hindmarsh, a scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, said. "A great example are the drumlins - raised areas of soil and rock - that make the hills in Seattle or Glasgow," he said.
