The world's largest iceberg melts on two sides: where will it lead

Recently, global warming researchers have come to a disappointing conclusion: Ross’s ice shelf in Antarctica, the largest floating piece of ice in the world, is melting not only from below, as previously thought, but from above. This means that it will split much faster than expected. This, in turn, will lead to a sharp rise in sea level.

"Boy" laughed

For two weeks in January 2016, the weather was very warm, which led to a partial melting of the 300 thousand square miles section on the Ross shelf. Scientists first recorded such significant melting of ice in Antarctica, and although this time the water melted from above in a "plate" of ice froze again, the very fact of this process does not make Antarctica and the whole Earth a very bright future.

In the photo: Ross Sea

The reason for the warm weather was the phenomenon of El Nino (translated from Spanish - "boy"). This is the name for the temperature fluctuation of the surface water layer in the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean, which significantly affects the climate. When the surface of the Pacific Ocean heats around the equator, currents carry warm waters to Canada, the United States, and Antarctica. This time, El Nino got a little lost and delivered heat to West Antarctica, which is not characteristic of him.

What's next

Scientists suspect that the more our planet heats up, the more often El Nino will be brought in the wrong place, and, accordingly, the Ross shelf will be flooded faster. But it is the ice shelves that keep the Antarctic ice from breaking off and melting, raising the level of the ocean. If the Ross shelf splits in two, the ice will fall into the water much faster.

Ohio University climate researchers believe that if the Ross shelf, as the main outpost on the way melting glaciers falls, sea level will rise 11 feet (3.35 meters). This will lead to the fact that only in the United States will be flooded an area of ​​almost 30 thousand square miles.