Scientists may have just solved one of the strangest mysteries of Greenland\u2019s ice sheet<\/p>\n
Below the surface, Greenland\u2019s ice appears to be churning up, a process one scientist described as akin to a \u201cboiling pot of pasta\u201d<\/p>\n
By Jackie Flynn Mogensen<\/a> edited by Claire Cameron<\/a><\/p>\n ODD ANDERSEN\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Hidden underneath the surface of Greenland\u2019s ice<\/a>, there are strange, vast structures known as \u201cplumes.\u201d But for years, scientists didn\u2019t know how these curious forms came to be\u2014until now. A new study<\/a> published in the journal Cryosphere reveals that the structures may have been caused by thermal convection in a process similar to the churning of the hot rock in Earth\u2019s mantle.<\/p>\n Convection is caused by temperature differences within a material. Hot material rises, and cool material falls\u2014driving a cycling, or convection. The same phenomenon appears to occur in ice, too, indicating that parts of the ice sheet may be softer than scientists realized. That\u2019s important for one crucial reason: we know that Greenland\u2019s ice sheet is rapidly melting<\/a>. And as the climate warms, scientists are racing to understand how exactly it will melt and how fast.<\/p>\n Example plume features in northern Greenland.<\/p>\n On supporting science journalism<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing<\/a>. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n \u201cWe typically think of ice as a solid material, so the discovery that parts of the Greenland ice sheet actually undergo thermal convection, resembling a boiling pot of pasta, is as wild as it is fascinating,\u201d said Andreas Born, a professor of Earth science at the University of Bergen in Norway, in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although the findings do not necessarily mean that the ice sheet will melt faster, they could offer clues as to how it may melt. And that knowledge is critical\u2014the sheet is more than 650,000 square miles in size; by one estimate<\/a>, if all of it melts, it will raise the planet\u2019s sea levels by a whopping 24 feet.<\/p>\n \u201cOur discovery could be key to reducing uncertainties in models of future ice sheet mass balance and sea-level rise,\u201d Born said in the same statement.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Science<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/a>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts<\/a>, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters<\/a>, must-watch videos, challenging games<\/a>, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription<\/a>.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"February 18, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Scientists may have just solved one of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[273,111,139,69,147],"class_list":["post-300355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Icebergs](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/greenland.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ice-plumes.png\")
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