#NewsBytesExplainer: First-ever subglacial flood observed beneath Greenland's ice
Back in 2014, scientists discovered something wild under Greenland's ice: a hidden lake burst and sent approximately 87 billion liters of water rushing out beneath the surface.
This was the first time anyone had seen such a huge subglacial flood, and it left behind a giant crater and cracked ice.
How did researchers track the flood?
Researchers led by Jade Bowling at Lancaster University used NASA and European Space Agency satellites to track the flood over 10 days.
The amount of water released matched nine hours of Niagara Falls at full blast.
The force scarred an area twice the size of Central Park—so big that scientists thought their data must be wrong at first.
Why does this discovery matter?
The flood happened where models said everything should have been frozen solid, so this discovery flips what we thought we knew about how Greenland's ice works.
Scientists now say keeping an eye from space is key to understanding—and predicting—how fast Greenland's ice might change with our climate.