Antarctica’s hydrofracture risk

The World

A new paper published in Nature shows that some 60% of Antarctica’s ice shelves are vulnerable to hydrofracture, or meltwater forcing its way into cracks in the ice and breaking them apart. As atmospheric warming continues, this hydrofracturing could lead to accelerated ice flow and sea-level rise, because these ice shelves stabilize large parts of Antarctica. The World’s Environment correspondent Carolyn Beeler reports.

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