Global flooding about 15 thousand years ago

Researchers have discovered that about 15,000 years ago, sea levels rose rapidly around the world by 18 meters. The reason was the catastrophically rapid melting of glaciers, which is possible in the future. This is reported in an article published in the journal Nature Communications.

According to geological data, at the end of the last ice age, about 14,600 years ago, sea level rose ten times faster than the current rate, in just 500 years, which led to the inundation of vast land areas. Until now, it was unclear which glaciers are responsible for this global event, referred to in the scientific literature as MWP-1A (Meltwater Pulse 1A), but some evidence points to ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere.

The researchers concluded that most of the melt water fell on the ice sheets of North America and Eurasia, while the total amount of melted ice exceeded the volume of the Greenland glaciers. The contribution of Antarctica was, to the surprise of specialists, small.

The release of huge amounts of fresh water is believed to have disrupted the global circulation of the ocean. However, it is not yet clear what exactly caused such rapid melting. According to scientists, a similar scenario may be realized in the future due to anthropogenic climate change, but future research will help determine the risk.

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