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One of four lakes under the glacier
CryoSat data have been processed in a new way and reveal that, in 2013, four interlinked lakes under Thwaites drained into the ocean. The image shows how the surface of the ice over one of the lakes sank by as much as six metres as a result of the drainage. The ice sank in a similar way over the other three lakes. Subglacial lakes have been found in many parts of Antarctica and are, indeed, commonly associated with fast-flowing glaciers. However, this is the first time that they have been found and observed draining into the Amundsen Sea. Also, this draining process is thought to happen only every 20–80 years.
