Scientists warn melting glaciers could create 50,000 new lakes
A new study using 3D ice-flow modeling suggests that the melting of global glaciers could lead to the formation of over 50,000 new lakes in previously frozen terrain. Researchers developed a new dataset to map the hidden topography beneath glaciers to better understand the environmental impact of climate change.
Why it matters
This research provides critical data on the physical transformation of the Earth's surface due to climate change and potential future environmental risks.
Across the globe, there are approximately 200,000 to 275,000 glaciers that hold 69% of the world's fresh water. They are found in every continent except Australia and are in heavy concentrations in the Arctic, Alaska, and Antarctica along with high mountain ranges like the Himalayas and Andes. But what happens when climate change causes all these glaciers to melt?In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Sweden, US, Switzerland and Norway mapped what lies beneath all the glaciers on the planet and reached a shocking conclusion: when part of this ice disappears, Earth could gain 56,659 new lakes in areas currently completely frozen.The hidden terrainLed by researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden, Carnegie Mellon University in US, University of Lausanne in Switzerland and University of Oslo in Norway, the team analysed glaciers outside the large ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.They reconstructed the topography beneath the glaciers using a…
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