Custom Search

Volcano Deep Down Could Be Melting Greenland’s Ice

Category: Environmental Health RSS
Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 4:49:33 PM
Bookmark and Share     Font Size 
A thin spot in the Earth's crust is enabling underground magma to melt Greenland’s ice, scientists at the Ohio State University feel.

According to them, the "hotspot" is located in the northeast corner of Greenland -- just below a site where an ice stream was recently discovered.


The researchers don't yet know how warm the hotspot is, but if it is warm enough to melt the ice above it even a little, it could enable the ice to slide more rapidly out to sea.

To measure actual temperatures beneath the ice, scientists will have to drill boreholes down to the base of the ice sheet-- a mile or more below the ice surface. The effort and expense make such measurements few and far between, especially in remote areas of northeast Greenland.

"The behaviour of the great ice sheets is an important barometer of global climate change," said Ralph von Frese, leader of the project and a professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University.

"However, to effectively separate and quantify human impacts on climate change, we must understand the natural impacts, too,” he added.

Von Frese's team combined gravity measurements of the area taken by a Naval Research Laboratory aircraft with airborne radar measurements taken by research partners at the University of Kansas.

The combined map revealed changes in mass beneath the Earth's crust, and the topography of the crust where it meets the ice sheet.
Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters
Notify me when reply is posted   

Bob Burk

1/21/2008

Very interesting, volcanic activity in Western Antarctica (the only place the Antarctic is melting and a geothermal activity in Greenland (were the streams were discover.) AGW may not be the only cause for ice melting. AGW from C02 is an easy answer to a system that is more complicated than our current knowledge.

Our best tool in monitoring the caps, satellite images, started in 1979. 1979 was like yesterday to me, in geologic time 1979 is such a short time that it is immaterial.
Reply | Forward

Related Links

Medindia on Industrial Development in North America Led to Warming of Greenland
Industrial development in North America between 1850 and 1950 greatly contributed to increased melting of the glaciers in Greenland, according to a new study appearing online in Science.

Read More...

For More Information
DNA Sample Suggests Greenland was Much Warmer During Last Ice Age
Furore Over Spa Planned on Active Philippines Volcano
Tweet this page Share this page
500 + Health news categories
Latest Health News From Leading Resources
Updated every 30 minutes
CHOOSE YOUR NEWS
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
Medindia on Facebook
Feedback  Advanced Search
Last Updated - - Designed & Content Managed by Medindia Health Network Pvt Ltd. Hosted & Technical Support by FrontPoint Systems
DisclaimerThe contents of this site are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified physician for any doubts.
To Read full Disclaimer Click Here!
Best viewed with resolution 1024x768 px.
Advertise with us |  Medindia Copyright |  Privacy Policy | Terms of Use |  © All Rights Reserved 1997 - 2009