Scientists have a solid theory about what happened to it.Sudden LossResearchers discovered that a large, icy lake in East Antarctica has disappeared suddenly.According to Phys.org, scientists believe that the lake vanished from the Amery Ice Shelf during the 2019 Antarctic winter. It is estimated that between 600 and 750 million cubic meters of water went into the ocean.Geophysical Research Letters published Friday a study by the researchers. Satellite images of the lake covered in ice allowed the authors to reduce the timeframe to one week in June. Below is a comparison of the lake before and after.Satellite imagery shows an enormous, icy lake in Antarctica disappearing into space. Pic.twitter.com/6G9ncKFb0p Tony Ho Trán (@TonyHoWasHere). June 27, 2021AdvertisementAdvertisementPossible explanationWhat happened to the lake's water? Scientists think that the lake's waters may have drained into the ocean by its own weight.According to Roland Warner, the lead author of the study and glaciologist at the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, we believe that the weight of water accumulated in the deep lake caused a fissure in ice shelves beneath the lake. This process is known as hydrofracture.Climate Change and its ImpactsClimate change is likely to lead to more Antarctic (and Arctic-lake) disappearances in future.Global temperatures will rise and ice shelves, glaciers, and other glaciers will melt faster, creating more melt lakes. This could result in more hydrofracturing, and greater instability for the ice shelves.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs fascinating and intriguing as the disappearances of entire Antarctic lakes are, they also serve as a stark reminder of the catastrophic effects climate change will have on the planet.READ MORE: Antarctic lake disappears suddenly [Phys.org]Scientists say Arctic Ice is melting twice as fast as we thoughtFuturism readers are invited to join the Singularity Global Community. This is our parent company's forum for futuristic science and technology discussions with other like-minded people around the globe. Sign up today to get started!AdvertisementAdvertisement
