Lakes under Antarctic ice linked to sea level rise
Blue ice covering Lake Fryxell, in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. (Photo by Joe Mastroianni, National Science Foundation)
Over 145 lakes are already known to lie beneath the ice in Antarctica.
What’s new is that many of these lakes appear to be linked together like plumbing and carry vast quantities of liquid water between them and towards the sea. If these lakes are indeed linked, they need to be taken into account in scientific models predicting how Antarctic ice melts and contributes to sea level rise. That’s because these lakes – buried under the ice – would lubricate the bottom of ice streams known to move inland ice out to sea.
And there’s another factor at work here. In Antarctica, ice collects along the coast in floating platforms called ice shelves. There’s concern that as oceans warm from climate change, the ice shelves might disintegrate. Earth scientist Robert Bindschadler of Goddard Space Flight Center was a study co-author. Earth & Sky asked him what he most wanted the public to know.
Robert Bindschadler: I think that it’s important to emphasize that the changes are happening faster and faster, and even we experts are surprised at how rapid the changes are taking place, and we’re still trying to come up with a deeper understanding so that we can predict what’s going to happen.
Over 90 percent of the world’s ice lies in Antarctica. Our thanks to NASA: explore, discover, understand.
Our thanks to:
Robert Bindschadler, Chief Scientist
Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
Chain of Cascading Lakes Discovered Under Antarctica
Science study reveals extensive water system beneath fast-moving ice streams
Additional Teacher Resources
NASA: Antarctic Ice Sheet Hidden Lakes Speed Ice Flow into Ocean, May Disrupt Climate
Scientists studying Antarctica for lakes and waterways that are hidden beneath the surface of the ice sheet have discovered how water from this subglacial system contributes to the formation of ice streams, and how it plays a crucial role in moving ice from the interior of Antarctica toward the surrounding ocean. Scientists say that water flowing from this network of under-ice lakes ultimately affects climate and global sea level.
National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC): Education Center
The Education Center section of the National Snow and Ice Data Center provides information useful to educators on the topics of sea ice, glaciers, snow, climate change, and more.
NOAA: Arctic and Antarctic Activity Book
This activity book designed for young learners contains a wealth of information about life in the arctic and Antarctic. It includes coloring pages with accompanying species text, word searches, connect the dots, mazes, and more.
Andrill Project Iceberg: Education and Outreach
Learn how eight educators from the United States, Italy, Germany, and New Zealand are working with the scientists in Antarctica to see how conditions on Earth have changed over millions of years. Teachers and scientists provide video journals and photographs.
