Scientists find Grand Canyon-sized rift under Antarctic ice

antarctica-melting
View of the Collins Glacier in King George Island, Antarctica. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travelled to Antarctica to see the effects of climate change on melting glaciers. Photo source: UN
Unlike the Arctic, which at its centre is an ocean, Antarctica is a landmass that is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. A permanent, massive ice sheet on Antarctica covers 98% of the continent and is containing the major freshwater reserves of the globe. Moving permanently towards the coasts, these ice masses, when gliding over the continental shelf, form huge flat areas of continental shelf ice, of which enormous icebergs can calve into the sea. Outside the shelf ice (fresh water ice), each southern winter an extensive ring of sea ice (salt water ice) is building and surrounding Antarctica. Antarctica holds nine times the amount of ice as Greenland, the melting of which is an important contribution to current sea-level rise. Melting of the west Antarctic Ice Sheet alone would cause sea levels to rise by an estimated 3.3 meters. Captions: UNEP

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Scientists have discovered a rift the size of the Grand Canyon hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet, which they say is contributing to ice melt and a consequent rise in the sea level…

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