Published 19:14 IST, December 17th 2019
NASA creates simulation of how earth would look with decreased sea levels
A scientist at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, James O'Donoghue, created a simulation of how the earth would look if there is a drop in sea levels
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A scientist at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, James O'Donoghue, has created a simulation of how the earth would look like if there is a drop in sea levels. The animation eventually shows two-thirds of the land's hidden underwater with the majority of the area becoming visible with a decrease of 459 feet.
Scientist recreates NASA simulation
O'Donoghue made a new version of the animation NASA created in the year 2008 but with high resolution and edited timing as compared to its predecessor. Even with the simulation showcasing a decrease in sea levels, scientists have said that earth is staring at rising sea levels because of drastic change in climate. According to reports, the main area of the ocean starts to show at a depth of 6,500 feet and at 19,685 feet, all of the water has drained, except the parts where deep-sea trenches are located.
Due to a drastic change in climate and global warming, scientists have witnessed a rapid decrease in ice sheets in the Arctic and the Antarctic. This has put at least 400 million people living in coastal areas at a huge risk of flooding of these regions by the year 2100, provided the rapid melting ice sheets maintains its pace. Scientists have discovered that the ice is melting seven times faster as compared to its pace in the 1990s.
Scientists find the lowest point of land on earth
In a major breakthrough amid the depths of Antarctica, US scientists found the lowest point of land on Earth, beneath the Ice sheet in Antarctica. Researchers from the University of California-Irvine unveiled the most accurate portrait yet of the contours of the land beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet, as stated by the University's press release. The research was carried out to identify the regions which are most vulnerable to global warming.
The research which is part of the newly released Antarctica topography map -BedMachine zeros the lowest point on land beneath the Denman Glacier in East Antarctica. At 3500 meters ( about 11500 feet) below sea-level, this point falls below the lowest exposed point on land which is located at Dead Seashore at 413 meters (about 1,355ft) below sea level, according to glaciologists. The researchers, along with the BedMachince Antarctica datasheet, published a study in the journal Nature Geoscience.
While previous Antarctica mapping methods relied on radar soundings, BedMachine used a physics-based method of mass conservation to estimate what lies between the radar sounding lines. This helped the researchers to identify how ice moves around the varied contours of the bed, helping them conclude the true depth of the Denman trough. Researchers believe that by charting seafloor depth offshore and beneath floating ice future bed topography mapping can be greatly enhanced.
(With inputs from agencies)
18:49 IST, December 17th 2019