Fact-Check

The Verdict False

Underground magma is only one of the heat sources melting the Antarctic Ice sheet, with oceanic and atmospheric heat being the two main sources.

Claim ID 781368b8

What is the claim?

A video posted on Facebook, with around 1,900 shares, claims that glaciers in Antarctica are melting from the bottom up due to internal heat from hot magma from "sub-glacial volcanos" and that human activity has nothing to do with the melting of Antarctic glaciers.

However, scientific evidence shows that while volcanic activity does have some effect on glaciers, human activity is also causing them to melt at an increased rate.

What is the truth?

According to NASA, glaciers melt both from above and below. This means that warm air melts the surface of the glacier, and warm water below the glacier melts it from below. This process varies for different glaciers across the planet.

According to a Scientific American explainer published on April 12, 2018, the direct connection between Antarctic glacial ice melting and climate change is still considered to be “complex.” It is generally agreed upon that Antarctic ice melting is mainly driven by warm water seeping underneath the ice, not heat from magma.

The explainer quotes Chad Greene, a University of Texas, Austin glacier expert, who says climate change is thought to affect wind patterns that affect Antarctic glacial melting. It also says, “Some models suggest that the winds driving certain major ocean currents...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5sb2dpY2FsbHlmYWN0...