NASA study reveals how lakes and riviers survive under Antarctica’s Marie Byrd Land
A geothermal heat source called mantle plume lies deep below Antarctica’s Marie Byrd Land, explaining some of the melting that creates lakes and rivers under the ice sheet, a NASA study has found.
Although the heat source is not a new or increasing threat to the West Antarctic ice sheet, it may help explain why the ice sheet collapsed rapidly in an earlier era of abrupt climate change, and why it is so unstable today.
The stability of an ice sheet is closely related to how much water lubricates it from below, allowing glaciers to slide more easily, NASA said.
Understanding the sources and future of the meltwater under West Antarctica is important for estimating the rate at which ice may be lost to the ocean in the future.
Antarctica’s bedrock is laced with rivers and lakes, the largest of which is the size of Lake Erie.
Many lakes fill and drain rapidly, forcing the ice surface thousands of feet above them to rise and fall by as much as six metres. The motion allows scientists to estimate where and how much water must exist at the base.
About 30 years ago, a scientist at the University of Colorado Denver in the US suggested that heat …read more
