According to NASA, Antarctica is currently losing 252 gigatons of ice per year, which is equivalent to three and a half Olympic swimming pools per second. The ice sheet's glaciers are melting six times more quickly now than they were 40 years ago as a result of rising ocean temperatures. And although the frozen continent of Antarctica may appear barren from above, beneath the ice is a mysterious and intricate world that, according to researchers, may hold the key to understanding how climate change is affecting the planet.

In the Larsen Ice Shelf, a huge, floating sheet of ice linked to the eastern coast of the Antarctic peninsula and notable for giving birth to the world's largest iceberg in 2021, scientists have discovered the hidden secrets of Antarctica that could change everything.

Antarctica remains one of the last uncharted territories on Earth. Due to its freezing temperatures and unforgiving weather conditions, few people have been brave enough to explore the Antarctic region, but now that they have, they have made some terrifying discoveries.

The main cause for concern is what lies beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, the enormous wedge of floating ice that forms part of Antarctica and protects the southernmost portion of the Southern Ocean. The ocean in this ice covered crevice is almost as big as the North Sea. The environment is completely black and extremely cold, and the ice forms a permanent, impenetrable cover over it. Water in its liquid state, according to many scientists, holds the key to understanding how the frozen form seen in glaciers behaves. They are known to move more quickly toward the sea when their gravelly bases are lubricated by freshwater and meltwater.