Though the effects of melting ice sheets on sea level rise and changes in ocean salinity have been meticulously researched, how this impacts volcanic activity has been largely unstudied — until now.
Research on melting glacial ice sheets and the resulting impact on volcanic chambers in the Earth's crust has revealed a startling positive feedback loop effect with alarming implications for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
What's happening?
In the Antarctic, giant ice sheets averaging about 1.3 miles thick weigh heavily on the Earth's crust. However, as the ice melts, less weight bears down on the crust, causing it to shift upward, as Phys.org summarized.
The study — published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems and shared by AGU Publications — examined the effects of the shift on magma chambers by studying volcanic deposits from the Andes dating back 35,000 years.
Findings suggest that when glacial melt occurs, the highly sensitive magma chambers within the crust are disturbed, which could trigger explosive volcanic eruptions in one of Earth's most significant volcanic areas.
The research indicated that as ice sheets lose ice at increasing rates because of warming global temperatures, volcanic explosions could occur at increasing rates and intensity. Extensive melt speeds up the first volatile expulsion — the formation and expansion of gas, the first stage of an eruption — by tens to hundreds of years, per Phys.org.
As a result of the high temperature and strength and close proximity to Antarctic ice, these volcanic eruptions, in turn, can accelerate the loss of glacial ice.
Thus, a dangerous positive feedback loop can be created, with ice melt triggering more intense volcanic eruptions and more frequent volcanic eruptions hastening the disappearance of Antarctic ice sheets.
Why is this discovery important?
The study's findings fill critical knowledge gaps that will make it easier for scientists to track the rate of ice sheet disintegration.
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Definitely 👍 Melting ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic has a huge impact on our planet. The Earth depends on ice sheets to reflect sunlight back into space to regulate temperature and create a stable climate. In fact, ice reflects 50% to 70% of the sun's energy away from the planet; without ice, much of that energy would be absorbed.
Global sea levels are also impacted by melting ice. As ice melts, sea levels rise, eroding and submerging coastal communities and critical ecosystems and salinating water supplies. Meanwhile, warming temperatures exacerbate extreme weather events like hurricanes.
Most importantly, studies like this one give us a better understanding of how and why ice sheets are melting so we can mitigate its causes and protect ourselves from its effects.
What's being done about ice sheet melting?
While there isn't much the average person can do to immediately stop the melting of ice sheets, everyday actions to reduce one's carbon impact are a surefire way to at least slow its progress.
One way individuals can reduce their carbon output is by changing transportation habits. Instead of driving, individuals can try walking, biking, or taking public transportation to avoid the pollution that would otherwise be produced by private vehicles. In fact, replacing any drive of two miles or less with walking or biking can save over 600 pounds of carbon from entering the Earth's atmosphere in a year.
If opting for a different mode of transportation isn't feasible, there are plenty of other ways to decrease your carbon output. Growing your own food, composting, switching to a natural lawn, investing in energy-efficient devices, installing rooftop solar, and swapping a gas vehicle for an electric one are all excellent options, too.
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