Secrets beneath the Ice
The Discovery That Changed How We See Glaciers
A Single Crack Can Drain Hidden Water to the Ocean
Crack not contributing to
sea level rise
Crack contributing to
sea level rise
Water Reservoir
Credit: Celina Brinkmann
Not every crack becomes a problem. But when the right conditions line up, like enough meltwater, the right stress in the ice, and a nearby water reservoir, these cracks can grow deeper.
If a crack taps into one of these hidden
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water reservoirs, it can trigger a process called hydrofracture which means the water forces the crack all the way to the bottom of the glacier. Suddenly, water that was once stored safely inside the glacier is rushing out to sea.
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How Do Scientists Know?
Researchers found that they can:
Calculate how deep a crack will go using the weight of the ice and the forces pulling and pushing on the glacier’s surface
And compare that depth to the water table inside the glacier
If the crack is deep enough to hit that water, it’s likely to keep going down to the bottom
Why This Matters Now
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The zone where this happens is moving higher up the glacier as the climate warms
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That means more of the glacier is vulnerable
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Models haven’t accounted for this
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So we may be underestimating what water is contributing and how fast sea levels are rising
Cracks in the snowy upper glacier might seem small, but they could hold the key to understanding how quickly our oceans could rise making it essential to understand these hidden processes to improve sea level rise predictions.
Well done!
You’ve just explored how glaciers melt, what happens in the accumulation and ablation zones, and why understanding hidden water pathways really matters.
Now that you’ve made it through all the big ideas, let’s see what you remember!