A lake in Greenland disappeared for a few hours

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A lake in Greenland disappeared for a few hours

Scientists have been watching in real time how a lake on ice in Greenland empties in a matter of hours after the water drains through large crevices, France reported.

This can be a common phenomenon due to climate warming.

Greenland ice can reach a thickness of 1 kilometer, and in summer it is usually part of the ice sheet to melt and lakes appear. It is then possible to form cracks through which the water reaches the base of the glacier.

 

It is difficult to observe the phenomenon directly, but glossiologists at the University of Cambridge in England had this opportunity when they reached the Storey Glacier in western Greenland in July 2018.

A few hours after their arrival, two thirds of the lake, i. 5 million liters of water disappeared in 5 hours in the soil.

Aerial photos taken before and after what happened to a small drone of the research team show how a circular-shaped dark blue body of water shrinks and turns into a light blue with less depth.

"The drone allows us to gather information about inaccessible areas," said Tom Chudley of the team.

The Storr Glacier moves 600 meters a year.

Experts have found that the rate of water leakage has temporarily accelerated. The purpose of the study was to describe the large crevices through which water flows to the base of the glacier and can accelerate its movement.

The results of the study are published in the "Protocols of the American Academy of Sciences".