This continent, which is covered with glaciers that make up 70% of the world’s fresh water, is actually of great importance for all humanity. Because it is very difficult to imagine what will happen to us if these ice sheets melt.
So, is there such a danger and what is hidden in this region that has not yet been fully explored?
According to scientific research conducted in the last few years, a river measuring exactly 460 kilometers long has been encountered under the glaciers in Antarctica’s Wenddell Sea. So how did this river form?
The water accumulating under the glacial layers causes the ground to become slippery and actually contributes to the mixing of these glaciers into the oceans more quickly. At this point, one of the most important details that determines the fate of the glaciers in Antarctica is to discover what is going on under the glaciers.
Puddles that tend to accumulate under glaciers can form in two different ways.
First; It occurs when the waters that emerge due to the melting on the surface flow down through the cracks in the glaciers. For example, in the glaciers in Greenland, the waters that melt during the summer months flow into the depths by forming crevices called “muoulin”.
Another way is the heat released by the friction between the ice moving on the land and spreading on the earth. But when it comes to Antarctica, the rate of melting on the glaciers is of little importance.
Because summers in Antarctica are not so hot that they cause moulin formations on glaciers, as, for example, in Greenland. Thus, it is possible to say that water can accumulate under the glaciers only due to the friction and heat emitted from the earth.
In fact, it was predicted that there was enough water to form a lake under the Antarctic glaciers, but until a few years ago, it was confusing whether these waters were connected or not.
But in an article they cited as a result of their recent work, a group of researchers stated that there are complex river networks under the glaciers in Antarctica.
According to this study, which the researchers carried out using radar data, there is a river with an average length of 460 kilometers under the glacier in the Weddell Sea region, whose arms resemble tree branches. However, this does not bode well for Antarctic glaciers.
This water, which tends to flow towards the ocean from under a floating glacier extending from the land to the sea, is gradually melting the lower parts of the glaciers, in fact, this indicates the gradual disappearance of the glaciers.
In summary, it is very important to consider these sub-ice rivers in studies on the impact of climate change on glaciers. On the other hand, this river discovery, which is very important for glaciers, shows us that there is much more to learn and explore about Antarctica.
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