Antarctic ice shelves harbour 57 per cent of all meltwater in the form of slush during summers, research has found. Slush is water-soaked snow and, along with pooled meltwater, results in 2.8 times more meltwater formation than standard climate models have predicted, as per the study. This happens because it absorbs more heat than ice or snow.

The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, used artificial intelligence to understand how slush impacted the frozen expanse. As per the report, this "could have profound implications for ice shelf stability and sea level rise." Slush isn't taken into properly by regional climate models, the study authors say, triggering a need for change.&nbsp;

A warming climate leads to the formation of meltwater on&nbsp;ice shelves. As per previous research, surface meltwater lakes can make the ice shelves unstable and even cause them to collapse because the weight of the water can bend or break the ice. When this happens, the sea level is directly impacted and can rise.&nbsp;

"We can use satellite imagery to map meltwater lakes across much of Antarctica, but it's hard to map slush because it looks like other things, such as shadows from clouds when viewed from a satellite," as per lead author Dr Rebecca Dell.

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<h2>The study</h2>

Cambridge researchers worked with researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and the Delft University of Technology to understand the impact of slush. They used historical data from NASA's Landsat 8 satellite and trained a machine-learning model to gather monthly records of slush and meltwater lakes from 57 Antarctic ice shelves between 2013 and 2021.

They made the alarming discovery that pools and lakes only made up 43 per cent of the meltwater on ice shelves, while the remaining 57 per cent was contained in slushy areas. This can speed up the melt rate considerably.&nbsp;

Dell added, "This slush has never been mapped on a large scale across all of Antarctica's large ice shelves, so over half of all surface meltwater has been ignored until now.

The study adds that slush has the capacity to absorb more heat since it is not as white as snow or ice, causing more snowmelt. Current climate models do not take slush into account, which has likely led to ice sheet melting and ice shelf stability projections to have been underestimated.&nbsp;

Amid climate change, rising sea levels pose a greater risk to coastal regions. The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Antarctic ice shelves harbour 57 per cent of all meltwater in the form of slush during summers, research has found. Slush is water-soaked snow and, along with pooled meltwater, results in 2.

Antarctic ice shelves harbour 57 per cent of all meltwater in the form of slush during summers, research has found. Slush is water-soaked snow and, along with pooled meltwater, results in 2.8 times more meltwater formation than standard climate models have predicted, as per the study. This happens because it absorbs more heat than ice or snow. The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, used artificial intelligence to understand how slush impacted the frozen expanse. As per the report, this "could have profound implications for ice shelf stability and sea level rise." Slush isn't taken into properly by regional climate models, the study authors say, triggering a need for change. A warming climate leads to the formation of meltwater on ice shelves. As per previous research, surface meltwater lakes can make the ice shelves unstable and even cause them to collapse because the weight of the water can bend or break the ice. When this happens, the sea level is directly impacted and can rise. "We can use satellite imagery to map meltwater lakes across much of Antarctica, but it's hard to map slush because it looks like other things, such as shadows from clouds when viewed from a satellite," as per lead author Dr Rebecca Dell. Also Read: Massive 880ft asteroid to come dangerously close to Earth this week The study Cambridge researchers worked with researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and the Delft University of Technology to understand the impact of slush. They used historical data from NASA's Landsat 8 satellite and trained a machine-learning model to gather monthly records of slush and meltwater lakes from 57 Antarctic ice shelves between 2013 and 2021. They made the alarming discovery that pools and lakes only made up 43 per cent of the meltwater on ice shelves, while the remaining 57 per cent was contained in slushy areas. This can speed up the melt rate considerably. Dell added, "This slush has never been mapped on a large scale across all of Antarctica's large ice shelves, so over half of all surface meltwater has been ignored until now. The study adds that slush has the capacity to absorb more heat since it is not as white as snow or ice, causing more snowmelt. Current climate models do not take slush into account, which has likely led to ice sheet melting and ice shelf stability projections to have been underestimated. Amid climate change, rising sea levels pose a greater risk to coastal regions. The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Worrying phenomenon in Antarctica's ice shelves can add to climate woes

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of Antarctica, with authorities issuing a tsunami warning for Chile's Eduardo Frei base on the frigid continent, emergency officials said.

The interior ministry said on Twitter that a tremor of magnitude 7.1 struck at 8.36 p.m. 216 km northeast of the O'Higgins Chilean scientific base and called for the coastal regions of Antarctica to be evacuated because of tsunami risk.

Authorities in Chile said on Saturday they regretted spreading panic with a mistaken tsunami warning calling for people to get out of coastal areas following an earthquake in Antarctica.

The ministry also sent a message to cellphones around the country urging people to abandon coastal areas, though the ministry later said it was sent in error.

People in coastal cities including La Serena, to the north of Santiago, and Valparaiso, started to leave areas close to the coast after the warning until reports started appearing that it was a false alarm.

The Chilean Air Force's base is the country's largest in Antarctica and includes a village, hospital, school, bank, post office and chapel.

The maximum population in summer is 150 people, and the average population in winter is 80.

An unrelated 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Santiago on Saturday night, but Onemi said no significant damage or impact was reported.

Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. A 8.8-magnitude temblor in the city of Concepcion on February 27, 2010, left more than 500 dead.&nbsp;

The country suffered the most powerful earthquake ever recorded 60 years ago -- measuring 9.6 magnitude,&nbsp;in the city of Valdivia.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of Antarctica, with authorities issuing a tsunami warning for Chile's Eduardo Frei base on the frigid continent, emergency officials said.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of Antarctica, with authorities issuing a tsunami warning for Chile's Eduardo Frei base on the frigid continent, emergency officials said. The interior ministry said on Twitter that a tremor of magnitude 7.1 struck at 8.36 p.m. 216 km northeast of the O'Higgins Chilean scientific base and called for the coastal regions of Antarctica to be evacuated because of tsunami risk. Authorities in Chile said on Saturday they regretted spreading panic with a mistaken tsunami warning calling for people to get out of coastal areas following an earthquake in Antarctica. The ministry also sent a message to cellphones around the country urging people to abandon coastal areas, though the ministry later said it was sent in error. People in coastal cities including La Serena, to the north of Santiago, and Valparaiso, started to leave areas close to the coast after the warning until reports started appearing that it was a false alarm. The Chilean Air Force's base is the country's largest in Antarctica and includes a village, hospital, school, bank, post office and chapel. The maximum population in summer is 150 people, and the average population in winter is 80. An unrelated 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Santiago on Saturday night, but Onemi said no significant damage or impact was reported. Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. A 8.8-magnitude temblor in the city of Concepcion on February 27, 2010, left more than 500 dead. The country suffered the most powerful earthquake ever recorded 60 years ago -- measuring 9.6 magnitude, in the city of Valdivia.

7.0-magnitude earthquake rocks coast of Antarctica

Antarctica has reportedly become the last of the Earth's seven continents to record deadly coronavirus infections after managing to avoid the pandemic for around nine months.

COVID-19 cases recorded in Antarctica for first time

Nobody really knows why the leak happened, or the events leading up to it. A large quantity of methane is stored under the seabed in Antarctica, with this leak suspected to be a product of the warming of oceans.

Scientists discover a Methane leak in Antarctica's seabed

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Worrying phenomenon in Antarctica's ice shelves can add to climate woes

7.0-magnitude earthquake rocks coast of Antarctica

COVID-19 cases recorded in Antarctica for first time

Scientists discover a Methane leak in Antarctica's seabed