Curiously enough, Antarctica has become a place where a river exists, flowing up one of the ice sheets. How does science explain this upward movement?
What is pushing the water up?
Waves (driven by the wind), tides (primarily caused by the gravitational forces of the moon), and tsunamis (often caused by earthquakes and submarine landslides or volcanoes) can cause the water to resist gravity. The energy and forces created by these natural phenomena can propel water upward, allowing it to naturally rise in waves or take off along the coastline.
The principle of the siphon
The siphon works under the influence of different pressures. People have been using siphons since ancient times. The ancient Egyptians used siphons for irrigation and winemaking, according to research published in 2014 in Scientific Reports. Nowadays, thieves can use siphons to steal gas from cars. However, there is still controversy about how siphons work.
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You can visualize the siphon by imagining two cups connected by an inverted U-shaped tube. A bowl filled with water is set on a step, and under it is an empty bowl. If the experimenter places one end of the tube in a cup filled with water and sucks the air out of it, as if using a straw, this will allow water to flow into the tube.
The siphon begins to function when water flows along one side of the pipe, and the other stream rushes into an empty cup. Siphons also function in a vacuum. According to a 2015 study (results published in Scientific Reports), gravity and molecular cohesion are involved.
Gravity accelerates the downward flow of water into the lower cup. Because water has a strong molecular bond, water molecules can pull water through the top of the tube.
However, many fluids that do not have strong cohesive bonds also pass through siphons. Therefore, it is not clear on what exact principle siphons work in different cases.
Capillary action
What about the paper towel example? This action, called capillary action, allows small volumes of water to flow upward, against the gravity of the Earth, as the water passes through narrow and small spaces.
According to the USGS, this upward flow is possible when the adhesion of the fluid to the walls of the material (in this case, the paper towel) is stronger than the adhesion force between the fluid molecules.
The USGS says that in plants, water molecules are formed by capillaries called xylem, which helps the plant to absorb water from the soil.
River in Antarctica
According to Robin Bell, professor of geophysics at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, there is a river that flows up one of Antarctica's ice sheets.
Beneath the icy continent are the Gamburtsev Mountains, a massive chain of peaks and valleys that is about the same size as the European Alps, she said. “There is water in the valleys,” Bell told Living Science. "We can say that with precision because when we fly over it, the echoes from the ice radar are much stronger."
“Intriguingly, the researchers state with certainty that the river flows backward because the ice on top of it is aligned with the direction of the ice flow,” reports Live Science. “This alignment and the tremendous pressure from the ice sheet above it is pushing the water up the mountain,” Bell said. "We realized that ice makes the water rise up the hill, squeezing the water back."
There are other cases where water naturally rose upward. For example, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake shook southeastern Missouri so badly that the Mississippi River temporarily flowed in the opposite direction. So the publication "Living Science" reported. In addition, a 2006 study (report published in Physical Review Letters) showed that a small amount of water applied to a hot surface, such as a red-hot pot, can "climb" up a tiny rise of steam if the water hot enough. This is reported by Live Science.