The Making of Antarctica’s Hidden Fjords

antarctica-ice-floating
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 metres. Scientists are studying the ice sheet closely, as it is believed to be unstable, because much of it is found below sea level. Captions and Photo source: ©© Peter Prokosch / UNEP

Excerpts;

Antarctica’s topography began changing from flat to fjord-filled starting about 34 million years ago, according to a new report from a University of Arizona-led team of geoscientists.

Knowing when Antarctica’s topography started shifting from a flat landscape to one with glaciers, fjords and mountains is important for modeling how the Antarctic ice sheet affects global climate and sea-level rise…

Read Full Article, Science Daily

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