Pursuant to a question in class: There are, in fact, volcanoes under the Antarct
ID: 637437 • Letter: P
Question
Pursuant to a question in class: There are, in fact, volcanoes under the Antarctic ice sheet, specifically associated with a rift zone along the western coast. One was discovered just last month under the fast-moving and unstable Pine Island glacier (original Nature research article (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.; news story in The Independent (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.).
According to this research, how much is volcanic activity probably contributing to the melting of the ice sheet?
The article also mentions that ice sheet thinning may increase volcanism by decreasing pressure in the magma chamber. If this is true, it would create a climate feedback loop. Would it be a positive or a negative feedback loop? Why?
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/volcano-antarctic-ice-melting-pine-island-glacier-sea-level-climate-change-global-warming-a8423131.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04421-3
Explanation / Answer
As it is given that there are any icesheet which are spread over the such region in the world where most of the geothermal as well as the volcanic eruptions are exist. this make a chance of the melting of the ice sheet over the region or we can say this as there will be the melting of the ice where these kind of volcanoes exist. this melting of the ice make the contribution in the rising of the sea water level.
Now according to the reseach the the volcanic activity is not much contributing to the melting of the ice as if we take the case of the whole world. in this melting of ice there are many factors others than the volcano which play a major role in the elting of ice. the one main and the current factor related to this is the pollution and the increasing amount of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the industries and the automobile. this make the rise in the global temperature and cause for the global warming. this make the atmosphere warmer and warmer and gradually but contineously make the ice to melt and rise the sea water level. the pollution and the carbon dioxide have the same influence on the melting of ice. but the volcano have the very small proportion in the melting of ice as the volcano is just at one place or zone and it may melt the ice near to it but it will not make the rise in water level to such an extent which the pollution and global warming makes. thus we can conclude that the volcanic activity have very slight contribution regarding this.
Yes it is true in the sense of the decreament in the pressure. as the earth surface have the different layers within it in the form of rock. this rocks are orginated and a part of the volcanoic erruptions. when the volcano warm the layers the ice sheet get melt and remove layer by layer. this make the decreament in the mass of the ice at that section and reduce the pressure. this reduce pressure make the variations of the wind pressure. this further have the correaltions with the precipiations and thus make the rainfall to change the climate. agian when the temperature get down the ice sheet again start depositing and when the volcano warm it will become thinner and repeat the same process in the form a defined cycle again and again. but it have the different rate of formations so the period from one loop to other will vary. it will be a negative feedback loop due attainment of the stability after certain period of time as we have aleady know that the process is in loop.
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