As the temperatures across the Arctic continue to rise at an alarming rate, the resulting ice in the sea level is reshaping coastlines across the globe. But the effects on the planet itself might be even more dangerous, as per a new study on how melting ice physically reshapes the crust of our planet.
The outermost layer of Earth is elastic, as per the research published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. In the study, Harvard scientists found that the crust rebounds outward when the ice layer melts but doesn’t always return to a perfectly spherical shape.
Melting ice creates a warping effect
The study shows that these deformations are not only larger than previously estimated but also have significant influences on ecosystems in an area for thousands of years.
For instance, parts of the crust around the Arctic are still expanding like a slow balloon after the weight of the ice age that has ended around 11,000 years ago. As more ice melts away due to climate change, the expansions and warping effects create a very complex landscape.
“On recent timescales, we think of the Earth as an elastic structure, like a rubber band, whereas on timescales of thousands of years, the Earth acts more like a very slow-moving fluid,” said Sophie Coulson, Harvard planetary scientist in a press release. “Ice age processes take a really, really long time to play out, and therefore we can still see the results of them today.”
Good for research but not for the planet
Being able to monitor this ballooning is imperative for scientists. Understanding how our planet is changing makes it easier to study and predict tectonic movements, earthquakes, and other processes said Coulson in the release.
But it also has implications for the change of climate. As the ice around the Antarctic melts and the crust pushes outward, it could deform and push bedrock out of position, which will further displace ice and create a vicious cycle leading to melting at a higher rate.
As per a study, Earth’s axis started shifting drastically in 1995, speeding up the polar drift considerably. The main reason behind the shift is found to be melting glaciers. In the last 25 years, Earth’s north and south poles have drifted about 13 feet.
