A cogitation publish inNature Climate Changeon Monday provided a new hypothesis for how a mysterious “ crater ” formed in East Antarctica . And it ’s looking like weather in the region may be the cause , rather than a meteorite impact as previously thought .
The crater is locate on the King Baudouin icing shelf . It is a huge 2 kilometers ( 1.2 mile ) wide , lead scientist to originally think a meteorite had slam into the region back in 2004 .
But now , a team of researchers from the Netherlands , Belgium , and Germany recollect wind may be the causal agent . Using a combination of field work , satellite imagery , and climate models , they say strong and changeless winds may be carrying warm and dry aura into the region , blowing away the snow .
As a result , the surface was darkened , absorbing the Sun ’s rays more easily , and forming localized “ blistering spots ” . This would have melted the ice , forming a lake on top of the ice ledge that finally cave in , leaving the circular crater - like shape behind . Water would have flowed into the sea through a yap in the ice , called a moulin .
“ The chassis - up of imperativeness on the lake , which will have become so big and full of water , caused it to drain or collapse under the open , ” study source Jan Lenaerts at Utrecht University in the Netherlands toldNew Scientist .
The researchers said they had found other lakes under the surface that indicates this has happened before . It suggests East Antarctica is much more vulnerable to climate modification than predicted , with the methamphetamine hydrochloride shelves unthaw quicker than previous estimates . The ice ledge hold back the ice on the trash sheet , so if they collapse , more ice falls into the ocean , and sea levels move up .
“ The amount of meltwater differs immensely from twelvemonth to twelvemonth , but it clear increase during strong year , ” study author Stef Lhermitte from the Delft University of Technology enunciate in astatement .
“ [ A late study ] indicated that West Antarctica is extremely sore to climate alteration . But our research now suggest that the much larger East Antarctica water ice bed sheet is also very vulnerable . ”
For more information , check out thisinteractive web pagefrom the researcher .
