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Source-This post on Ross Ice Shelf is based on the article “Antarctica’s France-Sized Ice Shelf Makes Daily Jumps, Raising Icequake Concerns “published in “NDTV” on 24th March 2024.
Why in the News?
Researchers have uncovered a surprising phenomenon in Antarctica where the massive Ross Ice Shelf which is roughly the size of France, lurches forward several centimetres once or twice a day.
About Ross Ice Shelf
1. About: a) The Ross Ice Shelf is Antarctica’s largest ice shelf, found in the Ross Sea extending from the continent’s coast into the ocean.
b) It is like a giant sheet of floating ice covering about 487,000 square kilometers, about the size of France.
c) Around 90%, is hidden beneath the surface, buried under hundreds of meters of ice. There is a lot of variation in their thickness. It’s thickness ranges from about 100 meters to several hundred meters.
2. How did it formed: Over time, snow compacts into ice, forming the shelf. It constantly receives new ice from glaciers draining from both the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets. As new ice comes in, some of the existing ice melts from below and breaks off at the front.
3. Why it is important:
a) The Ross Ice Shelf helps stabilize the Antarctic ice sheet by supporting the constantly moving ice on the land surface. It acts like a buttress, holding back the flow of ice into the ocean.
b) Ice shelves function as barriers, slowing the movement of glaciers and ice streams into the ocean. If the Ross Ice Shelf weakens and disintegrates, it has the potential to hasten ice melt rates and contribute to rising sea levels.
UPSC Syllabus: Science & Technology
