Grand Canyon-Sized Rift Found in Antarctica; Loss of Ice Contributes to Sea Level Rise

Scientists reported that an ice-filled ancient rift basin in West Antarctica is connected to the warming water temperatures in the region.

The rift, measured to be one mile deep, was discovered by researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the University of Aberdeen. The discovery was found under the Ferrigno Ice Stream which has not been inhabited since 1961.

The findings are of high importance as the western Antarctic's ice sheets are losing its ice faster than any other part of Antarctica. Researchers believe the findings can lead to better predictions in understanding global warming.

Bingham, accompanied with field assistant Chris Griffiths, journey to West Antarctica for nine weeks, traveling on snowmobiles and using radar equipment to measure the topography of the area.

"Over the last 20 years we have used satellites to monitor ice losses from Antarctica, and we have witnessed consistent and substantial ice losses from around much of its coastline," said the University of Aberdeen's School of Geosciences' glaciologist Dr. Robert Bingham. "For some of the glaciers, including Ferrigno Ice Stream, the losses are especially pronounced, and, to understand why, we needed to acquire data about conditions beneath the ice surface."

"We know that the ice loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is governed by delivery of warm water, and that the warm water is coming along channels that were previously scoured by glaciers," said Prof. David Vaughan of BAS.

"With something like the Antarctic ice sheet, some of these processes take centuries, and the amount of time we've been able to observe changes is at the maximum 20 years," Bingham said. "It's a very small amount of time. We need to gather more data."

With the rift, the eastern and western halves of the continent can, slowly, separate. The ice loss from West Antarctica is said to contribute about 10 percent to world's sea level rise. According to the BBC, East Antarctica has a different story as the region is so cold that the ice is estimated to remain firm for centuries.