Study Finds Subglacial Water In West Antarctica More Active Than Observed

The recent discovery of a subglacial water system beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) is causing scientists to rethink the mechanisms that control the flow of ice streams into the Ross Ice Shelf and ultimately into the Southern Ocean, according to a report in the February 15, 2007, issue of Science magazine online. The report describes the sighting of a previously unknown region of subglacial lakes lying under two fast-flowing ice streams about one kilometer (3,280 feet) thick. The study provides the first evidence that subglacial water is stored in a linked system of reservoirs underneath the ice and can move quickly into and out of those reservoirs. This activity may play a major role in controlling the rate at which ice moves off the continent...