The Antarctic glacier melted easily to raise the sea level by 3.4 meters

The Totten glacier on the eastern Antarctic ice sheet is melting from the bottom, threatening to raise the sea level by more than 3.4 meters.

Impact of wind on melting of the Totten glacier.(Video: YouTube.)

The new study, conducted by scientists at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, concluded that strong winds blowing through the South Ocean brought warm water to Totten, causing the largest glacier in the eastern Antarctica to melt from below. . Experts warn that these winds will become more and more intense due to climate change, yesterday's Long Room reported.

In the study, scientists used satellite imagery and wind stress data to understand the effect of wind on water below the glacier. Analysis results show that the melting rate of glaciers increases with strong winds in the South Ocean.

Totten glacier melted from below.(Photo: University of Texas.)

The winds warm the deep sea water during the process of carrying upwelling. Warm water is pushed onto the continental shelf and when it reaches the shore, it circulates underneath the floating section of the glacier, causing the ice layer to melt from below.

"Totten is called the sleeping giant because it is massive and is considered less sensitive to changes in the environment. But if Totten is sleeping, we see signs of impact. , and maybe only a blast of wind blew enough to wake up the glacier, "said Chad Greene, a graduate student at the Texas Institute of Geophysics.

The strength of the wind varies from year to year, the team said. But climate change will make stronger winds on the Southern Ocean, affecting the melting of the Totten glacier. This process does not require an increase in air temperature or sea water. Instead, the phenomenon of rising water occurs when the wind disturbs the surface water, paving the way for deeper warm water.

"The phenomenon is like when you blow a bowl of hot noodles and the noodles below start to spin and rise to the surface," Greene explained.