Melting glaciers may lead to more volcanic eruptions

Climate change is likely to have an explosive consequence: volcanic eruptions. Antarctic glaciers have been slowly melting as temperatures rise, unearthing hidden volcanoes in the process. The eruptions of these could further worsen climate change and disrupt global ecosystems. But melting glaciers will only continue without the proper intervention to curb emissions.

As warming temperatures cause glaciers to melt, the melt raises sea levels, which in turn affects the oceans' saltwater ecosystems and can lead to flooding. Melting glaciers may also lead to an increase in volcanic eruptions, according to a new study presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague and set to be peer reviewed later this year. "Hundreds of dormant subglacial volcanoes worldwide — particularly in Antarctica — could become more active as climate change accelerates glacier retreat," said a news release about the study.

Evidence suggests that the "thick ice caps act as lids on volcanoes," said Inside Climate News. Once the weight is removed, there is no longer pressure on the magma chamber underneath, allowing for eruptions to occur. "When you take the load off, it's just like opening a Coca-Cola bottle or a champagne bottle," Brad Singer, a geoscientist at the University of Wisconsin who led the research, said to Inside Climate News. "It's under pressure, and the dissolved gases in the melt come out as bubbles."