Scientists have discovered a giant cavity at the bottom of a disintegrating glacier in Antarctica, sparking concerns that the ice sheet is melting more rapidly than expected. Researchers working as part of a Nasa-led study found the cavern, which they said was 300 metres tall and two-thirds the size of Manhattan, at the bottom of the massive Thwaites glacier. Build walls on seafloor to stop glaciers melting, scientists say Read moreThe space is big enough to have contained 14bn tonnes of ice and most of that ice has melted during the past three years. In a paper published in Science Advances, the scientists said the rapid change in the ice was “unexpected” at some points on the glacier. “[The size of] a cavity under a glacier plays an important role in melting,” said the study’s lead author, Pietro Milillo, who is scientist at the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Source: The Guardian February 06, 2019 22:11 UTC