London - Saba:
A team of scientists revealed the presence of more than 100 volcanoes under the surface of the ice sheet in West Antarctica, which makes the region vulnerable to collapse due to climate change.
British media on Wednesday said scientists have warned that melting ice due to climate change contributes to increased volcanic activity, which accelerates the melting of the ice sheet, allowing magma chambers deep within to expand, which enhances volcanic activity, leading to the release of gases trapped inside the magma, and thus accelerates volcanic eruptions. Scientists explained that volcanic eruptions lead to more melting of ice on the surface, so that the process is repeated.
They noted that by conducting more than 4,000 computer simulations, the results showed that melting ice accelerates the beginning of volcanic activity, further worsening the environmental crisis.
Volcanic activity does not pose a direct threat to human communities due to the lack of population in this area, they added, but the indirect impact will be dangerous, as volcanic activity helps accelerate sea level rise, which poses a real threat to coastal communities, as if the ice sheet collapses completely, sea level may rise by 190 feet (58 meters).
Previous studies have shown in the Andes Mountains in South America a relationship between melting ice and increased volcanic activity, which strengthens the validity of the hypotheses of the new study.
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