Scientists have made the astounding discovery of a sizable river in Antarctica that was concealed by thick sheets of ice. A recent airborne radar survey revealed the river to the team of glaciologists who are researching how climate change is affecting glaciers. The waterway and its branches are the subjects of a study that was published in Nature Geoscience. According to experts, the river extends 460 kilometers beneath the ice, a greater distance than the river Thames, which flows across southern England and through London.
Researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Waterloo in Canada, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, and Newcastle University discovered the discovery.
According to glaciologists, the river may have a significant impact on the flow and melting of the glacier ice above it.
Data from water flow modeling and airborne radar measurements were combined to make the discovery. They looked at a sizable area, which included ice from the Antarctic’s east and west sheets as well as water flowing into the Weddell Sea.
Water flows beneath ice sheets, as scientists are aware. However, this latest study demonstrates that rivers are being formed as a result of ice melting. They claim that when the glacier’s base becomes less stable, these freshwater canals may speed up the ice-melting process.
To better understand how under-ice rivers affect glacial melting, scientists are now looking to apply the methods used in this particular area of Antarctica to other parts of the continent.
News Mania Desk
