ORIGIN: https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/
Swirling below the surface of the Thwaites glacier are vortexes of water that account for up to 20 percent of its ice melt, according to new research.
Above Antarctic ice sheets conditions are often calm, but below the sea small ocean “storms” are causing the ice to melt at an agressive rate. In West Antarctica, two glaciers are responsible for one-third of the total ice loss from the continent. These glaciers are the Pine Island Glacier and the Thwaites Glacier, or better known as the “doomsday glacier”. The Thwaites sits in a delicate spot, guarding against the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Both these glaciers have been wearing away for decades, accelerated by climate change. And there is a complex combination of air and sea processes that play a crucial part in their retreat. Now, a new study published in the journal Nature Geosciences has uncovered that underwater “storms” are also playing a role in the trouble around the continent.
Storms Under Antarctic Ice
Researchers from UC Irving and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory came
English