Скачать или смотреть Bottom Crack Study on Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf With Underwater Robot Measures Instability Risks

A paper called “Direct Observation of Melting, Freezing, and Ocean Circulation in an Ice Shelf Basal Crevasse” was just published online (open access): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s...

This very interesting, and very important study involved hot-water drilling a hole through an ice shelf in the Ross Shelf in Antarctica, and sending a robot called Icefin (follow Icefin on Twitter/X) through the hole to the water cavity near the glacier Grounding Line (GL) in the so-called Grounding Zone (GZ).

This robot surveyed one of the Ice Shelf Basal Crevasses (crack in the ice extending from the bottom partway upwards through the ice shelf). Measurements included three-dimensional water flow rates inside the crevasse, water temperatures, water salinity (thus water density) and detailed visual examination of features inside the crevasse on the walls of the crack.

The physical dynamics of the water flows and melting and crevasse characteristics were measured in detail, to completely characterize the present state of the crack and surrounding conditions within the bottom of the ice shelf.

Repeating the study in a year or subsequent years would then allow an understanding of whether or not the ice shelf is at risk of total collapse or if it is fairly stable.

Given the extremely warm anomalies in the oceans around Antarctica and the enormous collapse of Antarctic Sea ice around the continent, it is vital to assess possible ice shelf collapses, due to the associated increase in ice sheet flow into the ocean resulting directly from ice shelf collapses.

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