Antarctica France Sized Ice Shelf Makes Daily Jumps Raising Icequake Concerns

Global warming is creating disastrous conditions for the earth. The continuously increasing temperature of the Earth is having a deep impact on the ice at the poles. Researchers have now witnessed such an incident in Antarctica which is heart-wrenching. Researchers say that in Antarctica, a piece of ice the size of the country of France called Ross Ice Shelf is moving forward several centimeters once or twice a day. Researchers are saying that this movement in the Ross Ice Shelf has been caused by the Whillans Ice Stream. It is a fast flowing river of ice which sometimes gets stuck and then starts moving forward again.
The latest discovery sheds new light on the dynamics of the ice shelf, and highlights an aspect of it that was previously unknown. Due to climate change, the long-term stability of the Ross Ice Shelf is now in question. this research Geophysical Research Letters Has been published in.

Generally all glaciers move with a set speed. But the Whelens Ice Stream moves on a stop-and-go motion. Due to lack of water below it, it gets stuck. Then when too much pressure accumulates, it suddenly bursts and then moves forward. This process is similar to the way tremors occur in an earthquake, similarly these tremors push the Ross Ice Shelf forward.

According to the study, such shocks can weaken the Ross Ice Shelf. Ice shelves act as a barrier to the flow of the glacier. Glaciers flow towards the sea, and ice shelves keep it in check. But if the Ross Ice Shelf weakens and breaks into pieces, it could result in an acceleration in the pace of ice melting. If the ice melts rapidly, it will increase the sea level rapidly.

The research team emphasized that ice shocks and fractures are naturally occurring phenomena in the ice shelf. Still, researchers will keep a close eye on the activity happening inside it to see if it is breaking. Because this has happened before with smaller ice shelves. The new study highlights the dynamic and complex nature of the Antarctic Ice Shelf. This will prove to be very important in furthering research in this direction.