Alaska – NASA released satellite images of the Malaspina Glacier in Alaska, revealing a hidden fact that is said to speed up the rate of ice melting.
Referring to Live Science, Sunday (3/12/2023), the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface revealed a study that the volume of ice on the Malaspina Glacier was estimated to be too high by around 30%. That way, if all the ice melts, the average global sea level will rise by 0.06 inches or the equivalent of 1.4 millimeters.
On the other hand, there is a salt water lagoon hidden from view. It lies between the ice and a strip of land lying at the edge of the glacier. Worryingly, scientists saw that the lagoon was warmer than they expected. This is because the salt contained is so high that it can speed up the rate of water melting.
Not to mention, scientists also discovered subglacial water channels flowing through large rocks under the glacier. These channels, which extend up to 35 km, are said to be able to accelerate the retreat of the glacier.
The glacier, which has an area of around 1,680 square km, is known as the largest in North America and the largest in the world as the Piedmont Glacier. This status has even been given to local indigenous people as Sít’ Tlein, which means big glacier in the Tlingit language.
Using the Landsat 9 satellite owned by NASA and the US Geological Survey, the photo was taken and released on November 25 by NASA’s Earth Observatory. The photo shows a color illustration of infrared radiation where yellow and orange show ice, red shows water, blue shows land, while green shows vegetation.
The water lagoon that scientists are referring to is a stretch of dark red water, right at the end of a wide expanse of yellow ice. It is not yet known exactly when the Malaspina Glacier will melt completely, the presence of this lagoon can be said to worsen global warming.
*This article was written by Khalisha Fitri, a participant in the Merdeka Campus Certified Internship Program at detikcom.
This article was published on detikInet with the title NASA Satellite Photos Reveal Hidden Threats in Alaska
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2023-12-04 07:00:50
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