Earth's 'Squashed Continent' Is Rising

(NLDO) - Scientists are witnessing a continent rising out of the ocean at an extremely rapid rate - something that could have catastrophic consequences.

According to Science Alert, the continent that is rising and causing concern is Antarctica. That happens because this giant land mass is gradually losing weight.

The Antarctic continent is rising rapidly, as shown by the deformation of the land - Photo: MCGILL UNIVERSITY

In a new study, just published in the scientific journal Science Advances, a team of authors led by Associate Professor Natalya Gomez from MicGill University said that the Antarctic continent's emergence was due to it becoming lighter and losing ice.

One can imagine the continent as a sponge, which was once weighed down by a mass of rock. As the weight of the pressure was gradually reduced, it rose.

According to the authors, the consequences could be extremely serious in today's situation.

The rise of Antarctica, a process called "post-glacial uplift," can be a double-edged sword.

The natural workings of the Earth can actually balance this out, making it a good event, but only if humans don't sabotage it.

If emissions decline rapidly, limiting global warming, then post-glacial uplift could act as a natural brake on ice mass loss.

This process would lift the ice itself, slowing the flow of ice from land to ocean, reducing Antarctica's contribution to sea level rise by up to 40%.

Conversely, if humans continue to emit greenhouse gases that warm the planet, natural recovery will not be enough to “lock in” the ice melt and will instead push more ocean water further away from Antarctica.

This means sea levels will rise faster and submerge densely populated areas.

With the new model taking into account the rise of Antarctica, if we keep warming to a low level, sea levels will rise by about 1.7 m by 2500.

But this figure will increase to 19.5 m if global warming continues at the current rate.

"With nearly 700 million people living in coastal areas and potential damage from sea level rise running into trillions of dollars by the end of this century, understanding the domino effect of Antarctic ice loss is of paramount importance," the study authors warned.

This study once again highlights the risk of causing a catastrophic global disaster if humans fail to curb the rate of planetary warming through their own civilization.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/luc-dia-bi-de-bep-cua-trai-dat-dang-noi-len-196240820095312413.htm