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California-sized area of snow melt spotted in Antarctica mongabay.com May 16, 2007
Using data from NASA's QuikScat satellite, scientists found melting in multiple regions, including "far inland, at high latitudes and at high elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely." They saw observed melting snow at up to 900 kilometers (560 miles) inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, from the South Pole) and higher than 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above sea level. The scientists say that maximum air temperatures at the time of melting were "unusually high, reaching more than five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) in one of the affected areas."
The scientists said the 2005 melt created an extensive ice layer when water refroze following the melt, but that the water did not last long enough to flow into the ocean. "Water from melted snow can penetrate into ice sheets through cracks and narrow, tubular glacial shafts called moulins," Steffen explained. "If sufficient melt water is available, it may reach the bottom of the ice sheet. This water can lubricate the underside of the ice sheet at the bedrock, causing the ice mass to move toward the ocean faster, increasing sea level." The study, "Snow Accumulation and Snowmelt Monitoring in Greenland and Antarctica," appears in the recently published book "Dynamic Planet." This article is based on a news release from NASA Comments? News options Liquid error: Template not found languages/english/includes/x/_126.liquid
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