Giant flood in Greenland, rewriting the climate rules

In an isolated area of northern Greenland, where temperatures remain well below zero and the ice seems eternal, an international team of researchers has documented an unprecedented geological and climate event. A massive flood in 2014, hidden from human sight for a decade, generated a huge crater under the ice sheet - visible evidence of the hidden force with which the planet is changing. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), quoted by DPA, about 90 million cubic meters of water from melting ice erupted through the ice sheet in just 10 days - a volume equivalent to the flow of Niagara Falls in a nine-hour period. The study, recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Geoscience, was coordinated by researchers from Lancaster University and the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling in the United Kingdom.

• The Hidden Crater: A Devastating Impact in the Heart of the Ice

The event created a crater 2 square kilometers across and 85 meters deep, surrounded by shattered ice blocks and deep cracks. The destruction surprised even the most experienced researchers. "When we first saw this, because it was so unexpected, we thought there was something wrong with our data. However, as we delved deeper into the analysis, it became clear that we were seeing a huge flood of water coming out from under the ice,” said Jade Bowling, the team's coordinator. The erosion generated by the water was so powerful that it dislodged ice colossuses 25 meters high and caused considerable structural damage to the ice sheet. The event occurred in a region previously thought to be completely frozen, where sudden movements of water were considered unlikely, if not impossible.

• Water moves "upwards”: a scientific paradigm reversal

The research changes a basic hypothesis in glaciology. Until now, it was believed that meltwater penetrates from the surface of the ice sheet to the base and then slowly flows towards the ocean. The new data show that, under certain conditions, this water can emerge from the depths, breaking through the thick layer of ice and emerging at the surface. This discovery has major implications for understanding the stability of ice sheets, in an increasingly unstable climate context. The water from melting ice, accentuated by rising global temperatures, has the potential to destabilize areas previously considered safe and inactive.

• A wake-up call for the future of the Arctic

The Arctic is warming at a rate up to four times faster than the rest of the planet, which increases the risk of similar phenomena in the future. The increasing volume of meltwater from the surface can penetrate the ice sheet and trigger such flash floods.

"This discovery opens a new dimension in polar research and forces the scientific community to rethink models of ice sheet evolution,” the study authors emphasize. In addition, essential questions are raised about the global impact of such events, from sea level rise to changes in ocean circulation.

Researchers will now need to determine how frequent these events are and to what extent they can affect the structure of ice sheets and global climate stability in the long term. The crater in Greenland is not just a wound in the ice, but a serious warning, showing that the effects of climate change can be sudden, unexpected and with consequences that are difficult to predict. Exploration and monitoring of the polar areas thus become not only a scientific priority, but a necessity for the future of the planet.