Global warming causes glaciers to melt, contributing to rising sea levels, extreme weather, and habitat loss. A significant consequence is the increase in volcanic eruptions due to reduced pressure on magma chambers when ice melts. This activity can release greenhouse gases, which further accelerates climate change. While eruptions can temporarily cool the planet, repeated occurrences could foster global warming. Recent studies indicate that melting glaciers may have triggered volcanic activity in regions like Chile, echoing patterns observed at the end of the last ice age when ice cover was present.
"This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting," Pablo Moreno-Yaeger.
Melting glaciers increase volcanic activity because of the way they sit over stores of magma underground. When ice sheets melt and glaciers retreat, it releases the pressure on those magma chambers.
The thick layer of ice over the planet then suppressed volcanic eruptions. That led a reservoir of magma to build up below the surface.
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