Antarctica Hidden Lakes: Sign of a Global Disaster, Underwater Cities are Possible in the Years to Come

NASA's Operation IceBridge Maps Changes To Antartica's Ice Mass
ANTARCTICA - OCTOBER 27: Sea ice floats near the coast of West Antarctica as seen from a window of a NASA Operation IceBridge airplane on October 27, 2016 in-flight over Antarctica. NASA's Operation IceBridge has been studying how polar ice has evolved over the past eight years and is currently flying a set of 12-hour research flights over West Antarctica at the start of the melt season. Researchers have used the IceBridge data to observe that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may be in a state of irreversible decline directly contributing to rising sea levels. NASA and University of California, Irvine (UCI) researchers have recently detected the speediest ongoing Western Antarctica glacial retreat rates ever observed. The United Nations climate change talks begin November 7 in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
(Photo : Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Climate change is evident in Antarctica when several reports confirmed the melting down of ice in the region that resulted to the discovery of hidden lakes. These hidden lakes are reportedly stretching out and could swallow neighboring countries. Read more details here!

Newly Discovered Hidden Lakes in Antarctica

Scientists are quite surprised when they found out the massive lake of freshwater below the ice shelf located at King Baudouin Ice Shelf in East Antarctica. According to Discover Magazine, this part of the planet was once thought as resilient to climate change unlike Western Peninsula where evident of global warming can be felt across. 

The researchers from The Netherlands and Belgium have recently discovered 55 glacial lakes from above and below the surface of the land. However, unlike previously thought, scientists presumed that a certain meteorological phenomenon is a possible cause of melting not to mention the "Katabatic Winds" which is believed to have mixed with warmer air from the atmosphere.

Climate Change Will Reshape Coastal Regions

This situation is likely to be a sign of a global disaster for the years to come. The real problem is not found on the floating ice in water but if the ice shelves would melt, the massive glaciers in land will slide toward the sea that will result to the increase of sea level and just like everyone's fear, possibly swallow coastal cities and countries all over the world. 

The destabilization of West and East Antarctica has the ability to reshape the coastal regions with an estimated 150 to 200 feet ocean level rise. The combination of powerful winds and global warming is likely to sweep off coastal regions and countries such as Tokyo, New York City, Hong Kong, Calcutta, Shanghai, Paris, London, Rome, Hamburg and The District of Columbia, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

The vulnerability of ice and surprising melt in Antarctica is likely to compel the scientists to adjust their models to make sure how much ice Antarctica is losing not just today but for the years to come. Otherwise, underwater cities will come to reality.


Comentários