West Antarctic Glacier Melt Caused by Volcanic Activity

Volcanic activity is a factor in thinning ice on the Pine Island glacierI recently posted on the unexpected loss of ice on the Antarctic continent. Here’s an update: Hugh F.J. Corr and David G. Vaughan, two scientists from the British Antarctic survey, have recently published findings in Nature Geoscience of a layer of volcanic ash and glass shards indicating an old eruption from an active volcano, the heat from which may be thinning the ice of the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica.

The eruption that deposited the ash and glass was most likely deposited around the time of Alexander the Great. Buried by the ensuing millenia of snow and ice, the deposits where discovered by recent radar surveys.

These recent findings notwithstanding, most glacial scientists, including Vaughan, attribute the overall glacial thinning in West Antarctica to warming oceans.

Sources and Further Reading:
Science Daily
Environmental News Network

 

 

 

 

Tags: , , , climate+change, global+warming
Thomas Schueneman
Thomas Schuenemanhttps://tdsenvironmentalmedia.com
Tom is the founder and managing editor of GlobalWarmingisReal.com and the PlanetWatch Group. His work appears in Triple Pundit, Slate, Cleantechnia, Planetsave, Earth911, and several other sustainability-focused publications. Tom is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Get in Touch

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Get in Touch

2,600FansLike
121FollowersFollow
1,832FollowersFollow

Latest Posts