Huge Hole Opens in Antarctica, Scientists Aren't Sure Why

For the second year in a row, scientists discovered a massive hole that opened up in Antarctica's sea ice, and they really are not sure what is causing it.

Located in the Weddell Sea, scientists discovered the whole in September, and according to National Geographic, it is about the size of South Carolina. This area is known as a polynya--an area of open water where sea ice should be.

"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, told National Geographic. "It's just remarkable that this polynya went away for 40 years and then came back."

Moore stated that scientists observed a similar polynya in the Weddell Sea back in the 1970s, but they had not seen it again until last year. Moore also says that it cannot be blamed on climate change because they do not know what is causing the hole to form.

But one thing scientist's know for certain is that the polynya will impact the ocean, and as warmer water comes to the surface, it will get harder to close the hole.

"This is hundreds of kilometers from the ice edge," Moore also told Vice. "If we didn't have a satellite, we wouldn't know it was there."

The polynya measures some 30,000 square miles, National Geographic added.

Original Article by Sean Breslin found here: https://weather.com/news/news/2017-10-12-giant-hole-antarctica-polynya