Antarctic ice shelves fracture under meltwater lake weight, possibly causing sea level rise.
Researchers have found that ice shelves in Antarctica fracture under the weight of meltwater lakes, which may cause vulnerable ice shelves to collapse and contribute to sea level rise. As air temperatures rise and melt rates increase in Antarctica, ice shelves, important for the overall health of the ice sheet, could fracture due to surface meltwater loading. This observation is the first of its kind, and could help explain the 2002 collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf.
May 03, 2024
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