{"654892":{"#nid":"654892","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Seawater Seep May Be Speeding Glacier Melt, Sea Level Rise","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe melting of ice sheets at the points where they float on and along the world\u0026rsquo;s oceans is a major climate culprit when it comes to sea level rise. But less is understood about the extent of melting that is due to warm, salty seawater that seeps underneath \u0026ldquo;grounded\u0026rdquo; portions of ice sheets along land, as well as what happens when that mix intrudes deep under glacier interiors. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/tc.copernicus.org\/articles\/16\/451\/2022\/\u0022\u003Enew study\u003C\/a\u003E published in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.the-cryosphere.net\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Cryosphere\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/robel-dr-alexander\u0022\u003EAlexander Robel\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, may provide some clarity. Robel, who leads the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iceclimate.eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EIce \u0026amp; Climate Group\u003C\/a\u003E at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E, and his team of researchers have developed a theory that finds glacial melt may be happening faster out of sight than previous estimates.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The paper shows warm seawater can intrude underneath glaciers, and if it causes melting at the glacier bottom, can cause predictions of future sea level rise to be up to two times higher than current estimates,\u0026rdquo; Robel says. \u0026ldquo;Put another way, our research showed that the grounding line (where glacial ice meets water) is not the sort of impenetrable barrier between the glacier and the ocean that has previously been assumed.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing predictions based on mathematical and computational models, the study shows that seawater intrusion over flat or reverse-sloping impermeable beds may feasibly occur up to tens of kilometers upstream of a glacier\u0026rsquo;s end or grounding line.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFresh meltwater stays close to the temperature of the ice it came from, but salty seawater that intrudes under glaciers may also bring heat from the ocean, which researchers say has the potential to cause much higher rates of melting at the glacier bottom.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERobel\u0026rsquo;s co-authors for the study are \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/earlew.com\/\u0022\u003EEarle Wilson\u003C\/a\u003E, a postdoctoral scholar at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.caltech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECalifornia Institute of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/engineering.dartmouth.edu\/community\/faculty\/helene-seroussi\u0022\u003EHelene Seroussi\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/home.dartmouth.edu\/\u0022\u003EDartmouth College\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new study uses basic mathematical theory of fluid flow and large computer models run on the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pace.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPartnership for an Advanced Computing Environment (PACE) high performance computing cluster\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech to make its predictions, and builds on a 2020 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.maths.ox.ac.uk\/hewitt\/publications\/Wilson%20et%20al%202020.pdf\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E led by Wilson which showed how such intrusions could occur through laboratory experiments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;Past measurement from field expeditions and satellites have hinted that seawater may intrude subglacial meltwater channels,\u0026rdquo; Wilson notes, \u0026ldquo;much like how the ocean may flow upstream and mix with river water in a typical estuary. Our study shows subglacial estuaries are not just possible but likely over a wide range of realistic scenarios, and their existence has profound implications for future sea level rise.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Simulations show that even just a few hundred meters of basal melt caused by seawater intrusion upstream of marine ice sheet grounding lines can cause projections of marine ice sheet volume loss to be 10-50 percent higher,\u0026rdquo; Robel explains. \u0026ldquo;Kilometers of intrusion-induced basal melt can cause projected ice sheet volume loss to more than double over the next century.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERobel adds that these results suggest that further observational, experimental, and numerical investigations are needed to determine the conditions under which seawater intrusion occurs \u0026mdash; and whether it will indeed drive rapid marine ice sheet retreat and sea level rise in the future. The research team will start to look at measurements from past field expeditions to confirm if their theory is true, and are working to secure funding in the next year to go to Antarctica and look for such intrusion in a targeted expedition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Overall, this contributes to an important body of current work that tries to estimate how fast ice sheets melt in a changing climate,\u0026rdquo; Robel adds, \u0026ldquo;and what physical processes are relevant in driving these rapid changes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFunding\u003C\/strong\u003E: This work was funded in part by faculty startup support from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University System of Georgia.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDOI\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5194\/tc-16-451-2022\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.5194\/tc-16-451-2022\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Renay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EEditor\u003C\/strong\u003E: Jess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E###\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 44,000 students representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Alexander Robel leads a new study projecting that warm seawater \u2014 seeping under certain glaciers \u2014 could eventually lead to future sea level rise that\u2019s double that of existing estimates, with new findings published in The Cryosphere."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAlexander Robel leads a new study projecting that warm seawater \u0026mdash; seeping under certain glaciers \u0026mdash; could eventually lead to future sea level rise that\u0026rsquo;s double that of existing estimates, with new findings published in \u003Cem\u003EThe Cryosphere\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Alexander Robel leads a new study projecting that warm seawater \u2014 seeping under certain glaciers \u2014 could eventually lead to future sea level rise that\u2019s double that of existing estimates, with new findings published in The Cryosphere."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2022-01-27 19:28:47","changed_gmt":"2022-02-08 17:04:47","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-02-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2022-02-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"655054":{"id":"655054","type":"image","title":"Alexander Robel holds ice used in glacial melt research. 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