Antarctic melting: Natural or Anthropogenic?
Abstract
The melting process and mechanism of the Antarctic ice sheet and its influence on the global sea level change are the major issues of global concern, and also the hot topic of the recent year dispute. The global warming theory elegantly accounts for sea level rise due to the CO2 greenhouse effect as a consequence of human activities, by accelerating the deglaciation in Antarctica. However, observations show that subglacial water such as the Lake Vostok beneath Antarctic ice sheet as a consequence of basal melting is an important source of water contributing to the rise in sea levels. Besides, basal melting will reduce the buttressing of ice shelves, which may lead to glacier thinning, its acceleration and grounding line retreat. Here, we considered that the high heat flux of the rock under the ice cover may provide an explanation of global sea level rise by leading to the ice melting under the thermal heated ice sheet. We think that the volcanic action, the high heat flow rifting effect and other geothermal resources are most of the important causes of the basal ice melting. These recent findings of ice melting beneath Antarctica highlight the need for better understanding subglacial geothermal sources, their hydrologic interactions with marine margins, and their possible roles in global climate change.
About the Authors
C. Tang
China University of Geosciences (Wuhan); Dalian University of Technology
China
China
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources; State Key Laboratory of Coastal & Offshore Engineering
Wuhan,
Dalian
T. Chen
Northeastern University
China
China
School of Civil and Resources Engineering
Shenyang
B. Gong
Dalian University of Technology
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
State Key Laboratory of Coastal & Offshore Engineering
Dalian
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Review
For citations:
Tang C., Chen T., Gong B. Antarctic melting: Natural or Anthropogenic? Earth sciences and subsoil use. 2019;42(3):268-278. (In Russ.)
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