Atmospheric rivers could lead to the collapse of Larsen C, an ice shelf the size of Los Angeles in Antarctica, researchers have found.
Larsen C ice shelf on October 31, 2017. Image: Mario Tama
A study published April 14 in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment showed that “atmospheric rivers” also lead to extreme temperatures, melting the surface, dissolving sea ice, destabilizing the ice shelves in the Antarctic peninsula. Atmospheric rivers are long columns of moisture that carry warm air and water vapor from the tropics to other parts of the Earth, which can cause rain and snowfall upon landfall.
The researchers observed the effects of atmospheric rivers during the collapse of two Antarctic peninsula ice shelves, Larsen A and B, in the summer of 1995 and 2002 respectively. Currently, during the gas crisis The climate will continue to warm the Earth, the largest remaining ice shelf, Larsen C, is also at risk of completely collapsing, according to the research results.
The study authors used a variety of algorithms, climate models, and satellite observations to identify 60% of the fractures in which an iceberg separates from an ice shelf or glacier in the Antarctic peninsula due to rivers of gas. caused between 2000 and 2020.
Ice shelves can become unstable in many ways. For Larsen A, B, and C, there is evidence of a windward, warm dry air blowing down the mountainside after cold, moist air rises on the other side. This type of wind causes sharp and sudden changes in temperature, causing the ice to melt in Antarctica. It also leads to ice shelf cracking. Melting sea ice also exposes the ice shelf to rising sea levels, further exacerbating instability.
“Our study found that atmospheric rivers cause a variety of effects,” said lead researcher Jonathan Wille from the University of Grenoble Alpes in France. “We found that nearly all of the extreme temperature events that occurred in the Antarctic peninsula also coincided with atmospheric rivers.”
Scientists still don’t know the link between atmospheric rivers and climate change, but the recent heatwave in Antarctica is so strong that many experts are starting to hypothesize a role for the climate crisis. “As the atmosphere gets warmer, the atmosphere can hold more moisture. Since atmospheric rivers transport moisture, that means more and more moisture is going to Antarctica,” Wille said.
Sea levels could rise by 60 meters if all the ice in Antarctica were to melt, causing many islands to be submerged and causing catastrophe for millions of people living in coastal areas. Much of the recent world ice melt and sea level rise has been caused by the Greenland ice shelf in the Arctic.
An Khang (According to CNN)
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