Huge, ‘mysterious’ hole appears in sea ice near Antarctica
A huge, mysterious hole has been spotted in sea ice near Antarctica, researchers reported this week.
The hole, which was detected about a month ago, is roughly 30,000 square miles or the size of the state of Maine. It’s the largest hole spotted in the Weddell Sea since the 1970s, scientists say.
“In the depths of winter, for more than a month, we’ve had this area of open water,” Kent Moore, professor of physics at the University of Toronto – Mississauga, told National Geographic.
This is the second year in a row that scientists have seen such a massive hole in Antarctica’s sea ice, though this one is bigger than the one from last year.
Read the full story at USA Today.
The polynya is the dark region of open water within the ice pack. (Photo: NASA Worldview)
The polynya is the dark region of open water within the ice pack. (Photo: NASA Worldview)
