Ice sheet plumbing system of Greenland revealed
Q. Scientists have demonstrated for the first time how water is drained from the Greenland ice sheet lake through ________.- Published on 12 Oct 15a. Water tunnel
b. Subglacial tunnel
c. Glacier
d. None of the above
ANSWER: Subglacial tunnel
Scientists have demonstrated how water is drained from the Greenland ice sheet lake through a subglacial tunnel. Researchers from University of Exeter studied water flow paths from such subglacial lake draining beneath the ice sheet. They found that impact of climate change is considerable on the plumbing system associated with water flow in subglacial lake under Greenland ice sheet. Configuration of the plumbing system has an impact on the flow speed of the overlying ice. Greenland’s subglacial lake has been fed by surface meltwater flowing down a nearby moulin unlike Antarctic subglacial lakes which are sustained via melting of the base of ice sheet. As global warming continues to increase, more volumes of surface meltwater routed to the ice sheet bed will lead to subglacial lake drainage to become common in the future. Increased drainage frequency could impact the sensitivity of the ice sheet to climate change, influencing the future sea level changes.
