This page was generated automatically; to view the article at its source, please visit the link below:
https://www.jpost.com/science/science-around-the-world/article-838323
and if you wish to have this article removed from our site, kindly get in touch with us
A recent research published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems has uncovered a possible “ticking time bomb” lying beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, triggering concerns regarding the prospects of global sea levels. The scientists discovered more than 100 volcanoes concealed under the Antarctic ice, situated along an active volcanic rift system recognized as the West Antarctic Rift System, which has been in operation since the era of dinosaurs.
Experts have cautioned that as climate change expedites the thawing of the Antarctic ice sheet, the significant weight of the ice—which serves as a barrier suppressing magma chambers—lessens. This decline in pressure enables magma to expand, putting strain on the walls of volcanic chambers and raising the probability of eruptions. The research highlights: “The ice sheet is receding, allowing magma to expand and elevate pressure within the volcanic chambers. Carbon dioxide and water dissolved in the magma will also create gas bubbles, further amplifying pressure and eventually causing eruptions.”
Scientists from Brown University executed over 4,000 computer simulations to model this occurrence. Their results indicated that surface melting hastens processes leading to volcanic eruptions by decades to several centuries. In one of the scenarios, the group simulated the removal of an ice layer 1,000 meters thick over 300 years—a rate deemed moderate for West Antarctica—and observed a rise in volcanic activity and eruption magnitude.
The enlargement of magma chambers beneath the diminishing ice sheet modifies pressure dynamics and accelerates eruptions due to the formation of gas bubbles from dissolved carbon dioxide and water in the magma. This initiates a perilous feedback loop: as ice melts, volcanic activity intensifies, which subsequently contributes to the melting of the ice.
Although heightened eruptions from these concealed volcanoes may not directly endanger human settlements, since Antarctica is predominantly uninhabited, the indirect ramifications could be devastating. Volcanic eruptions emit additional heat, lava, and ash, warming the ice sheet from the surface and beneath, potentially causing millions of cubic meters of ice to melt each year. This rapid melting may aid in the rise of global sea levels, posing a threat to coastal populations globally.
Present estimates predict a near-complete collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet by the year 2300, granting humanity roughly 275 years to counteract its deterioration amidst escalating volcanic activity. Nonetheless, the feedback loop between melting and volcanism might expedite this timeline. The gradual nature of this phenomenon implies its consequences could persist even if human-influenced climate change slows, potentially affecting volcanic activity for many thousands of years.
The potential repercussions of this scenario are substantial. Should the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse entirely, sea levels might surge by approximately 58 meters, inundating major coastal cities like New York, Tokyo, and Shanghai. This would make them uninhabitable and might compel billions of individuals to relocate to safer regions.
The researchers have made connections between their findings and historical evidence from the Andes Mountains in South America. Scientists recognized a correlation between the melting of the Patagonian ice sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum and heightened activity in volcanoes such as Calbuco and Puyehue-Cordón Caulle. This information corroborates the idea that ice thawing can affect volcanic activity.
“The buoyancy effect from melting ice permits magma chambers deep within the continent to expand, modifying pressure and hastening the processes that result in eruptions,” the research notes.
This scenario creates feedbacks referred to as ice albedo feedbacks, where diminished ice cover reduces Earth’s albedo effect, resulting in further atmospheric warming and exacerbating the melting process. This intricate interaction between melting ice and volcanic activity poses a complex challenge that could worsen the impacts of climate change.
The article was composed with the aid of a news analysis system.
This page was generated automatically; to view the article at its source, please visit the link below:
https://www.jpost.com/science/science-around-the-world/article-838323
and if you wish to have this article removed from our site, kindly get in touch with us
