Antarctica‘s Hidden Meteorite Treasures Threatened by Global Warming
Jakarta – Antarctica, a continent synonymous with ice and isolation, is revealing itself as a crucial archive of our solar system’s history, but this invaluable record is now at risk. The frozen expanse has yielded an astounding collection of nearly 50,000 meteorites, with hundreds of thousands more believed to be hidden beneath the ice, each offering a unique glimpse into the evolution of our cosmic neighborhood.
These ancient celestial visitors, some larger than asteroids and originating from beyond Earth’s asteroid belt, have been a primary source of scientific understanding regarding the solar system’s formation.The challenging, remote terrain of Antarctica, however, makes their revelation a painstaking endeavor, often undertaken without guaranteed success. Despite these difficulties, scientists have historically managed to unearth approximately 1,000 meteorites annually.
Though, a concerning new study published in Nature Climate Change projects a notable decline in these discoveries. Researchers estimate that as global temperatures rise, an alarming 5,000 meteorites could be lost from view each year, buried and rendered invisible by melting ice.To arrive at this projection, scientists developed sophisticated models that pinpoint potential meteorite locations. These models consider critical factors such as snow cover, surface temperatures, ice flow velocity, and topographical features. By simulating various warming scenarios, the study reveals a direct correlation: as temperatures increase, meteorites are increasingly submerged and concealed beneath the ice.
“This is a rather unexpected impact of climate change,” stated Harry Zekolari, a lead author of the study and a glaciologist at Vrije Universiteit Brussels, as quoted by National Geographic. “these places are below the freezing point,but we still greatly influence the solar system that is very crucial.”
The potential loss of these meteorites represents a significant setback for our understanding of the solar system’s history,underscoring the far-reaching and frequently enough unforeseen consequences of a warming planet.
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This article was originally published on detikinet.*