Science is Fun Fridays!


 The Antarctic ice sheet is approximately 1.2 miles thick, covering 98% of the continent.

NASA satellite imagery confirmed it actually gained mass from 2021-2023, but this was simply due to increased precipitation, and definitely did not make up for 20 years of loss.

Scientists have recently been able to better map the bedrock beneath.  Geological features shape how ice flows, sculpting the glacial surface, and having a clearer picture of this process will help scientists predict ice changes in response to warming.

They found river channels stretching hundreds of miles, sharp transitions between highland and lowland terrain, suggesting tectonic boundaries.  Deep valleys exist 18.6 miles beneath the ice that were previously unknown, or unclear.

About a year ago, a team drilled a spot 2 miles down to reach 1.2 million year old ice, the oldest ice core yet.  (Older ice has been found, about 6 million years old, but it is not a continuous core).

Analysis will show how Earth's atmosphere and climate have evolved, as well as providing insight into how Ice Age cycles have changed.

Most recently, the Thwaites (Doomsday) Glacier has been experiencing glacial earthquakes, which occur when huge chunks of ice fall into the sea.  When they capsize, they clash with the main glacier, generating strong mechanical ground vibrations, or seismic waves, which can propagate thousands of miles.



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