Guardian Herald

We Bring News To You

Saturday, May 25, 2019
Log in

The Strange Japanese Company Tradition of Adopting Employees

By

Japanese businessman and son

Many aspects of Japanese culture are universally admired. Images of luxurious cuisine, karate, or Zen gardens often pop into a Westerner’s mind when thinking about the cultural riches of Japan. However, one Japanese tradition now being revealed to the world has many foreigners’ scratching their heads. Believe it or not, many Japanese adopt adult men into family businesses.

Sometimes, they even marry these adopted sons to a daughter in the family. And this practice isn’t under the radar at all. According to government statistics, an astonishing 98 percent of all adoptions in Japan are for men between the ages of 20-30.

A Few Famous Japanese Examples Of Adopting Adult Sons

Although this strange fact of Japanese life is only now becoming public knowledge, Western academia has known about this phenomenon for quite awhile. The American Journal of Comparative Law even put out a paper on the issue entitled “Sons and Lovers: Adoption in Japan.” News about this adoption custom is mainly spreading to the general public through a new Freakonomics report.

Dr. Vikas Mehorotra, who teaches finance at the University of Alberta, believes Japan adopts adult males mainly because family firms have always outperformed professionally run businesses in the home country. Dr. Vikas told Freakanomics,

If you compare the performance under different kinds of heirs, blood heirs versus adopted heirs, the superior performance of second-generation managed firms is pretty much entirely attributable to the adopted heir firms.

Japan is absolutely full of “family-run” businesses nowadays. Perhaps one of the most famous companies run by adopted sons is Suzuki. The current CEO of Suzuki, Osamu Suzuki, is actually the fourth adopted son to take the reigns of this automobile company.

Another big company to adopt sons is Matsui Securities, a large financial services firm. Even small businesses are known to practice adopting adult sons. The most famous example is the inn called Houshi Ryokan. This inn has been in the family for a whopping 46 generations, and it has used the practice of adopting adult males to pass on the business successfully throughout its 1,300-year history.

Cultural Precedent For Adopting Adult Sons

Of course, this cultural phenomenon didn’t just appear out of the blue. In fact, there’s a long history attached to the custom of adopting an adult male into the family. A few hundred years ago, Japan’s civil code determined how money was distributed once a person in the family died. As tradition dictates, the eldest male son gets most of the wealth. If a family has no biological sons, however, then the wealth and the business could go to an adopted son.

Many Japanese families in the past without sons would actively seek out sons to adopt in order to preserve the family’s wealth line. This tradition informs the practice of adopting a son into the business. Some Japanese actually try to both adopt a young man and marry him off to a daughter in the family. This truly keeps the wealth “in the family,” since the son becomes an adopted son-in-law.

While there is strong cultural and historical president for adopting adult males, the population woes of modern Japan make this practice even more attractive to businessmen. It’s just been reported that Japan has the most centenarians of any country in the industrialized world, and the country is well below replacement levels.

Statisticians say a country needs at least 2.1 births per woman to maintain a stable population. Japan currently has a fertility rate of only 1.4 births per woman. At the end of the day, it just makes good business sense for executives to adopt a son if they want to keep the wealth in the family.

There’s No End In Sight For This Japanese Adopting Custom

Most analysts believe this trend will only continue to increase in the future. Although a great deal has changed since the original civil code was adopted pre-World War II, most Japanese businessmen believe this is the best way to effectively pass wealth off in the family. Also, with the fact that more and more women are working longer hours and have no intention on having any children at all, most business leaders favor simply adopting an adult male they can trust to run the business well and enter into the family.

The Japanese are well-known for their conservatism, and with the growth in adoption/arranged marriage agencies, an increasingly aging population, as well as a low birth rate, this trend will probably remain in place for many years to come.

 

Image by Joi Ito, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Alphabet Is Doing Fine in the “Other Bets” Category

By

Alphabet organizational structure

Alphabet, Google’s holding company name, is gradually improving their “other bets” category. Essentially, their other bets companies are those that aren’t Google. Alphabet recently reported their Q4 earnings and paid out dividends to investors, showing the financial progress of their bussiness from October 2016 to December 2016. Google’s overall revenue rose 25%, bringing in $25.8 billion in earnings. This prevents the loses in other bets companies from hurting the holding company.

What Alphabet’s Q4 Earnings Look Like

Alphabet reported their Q4 earnings on January 26, 2017. In the business world, the year is divided into four financial quarters: Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. The fourth quarter consists of October, November, and December. Google is their bread and butter. The holding company’s other bets generated $262 million in revenue in Q4. This is a $112 million increase from the fourth financial quarter of 2015. Alphabet’s losses in the other bets category were smaller this past year as well. They recorded a loss of $1.2 billion in Q4 of 2015 and $1.1 billion in Q4 of 2016.

Analysts predicted that shareholders would receive $9.67 per share on $25.22 billion in revenue for the company’s stock in this past financial quarter. It turned out slightly lower, however, at $9.36 per share on revenue of $26.06 billion. The 2.5% drop in Alphabet’s extended trading indicates some investors may doubt that the company is going in the right direction. Investors may also be concerned about the future of Google because ad value has been decreasing.

With the entire year considered, Alphabet’s other bets generated $809 million in revenue in 2016, which was an 82% increase from 2015. Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s CFO, assured that they would continue to

“exercise careful stewardship over the amounts and pace of investments.”

More Background and Future Projections

Some of Alphabet’s other bets companies include Nest, Verily (life science research organization), and Fiber (Internet and television provider). Nest, a home automation platform, is an “other bets” company to keep your eye on because it’s where Alphabet/Google predicts the market is headed. The era of desktop search dominating the search industry is over. Although mobile is king now, Google thinks search will be integrated with the home in the future and wants to position themselves to dominate home search just as they did with desktop traffic.

The amount of losses in Alphabet’s other bets category may shock some people, but the company has always embraced innovation. And to be innovative, you need to take chances. However, Alphabet knows that they still need to keep the company in good financial health in order to have the luxury to experiment with new ideas. Google already brings in a huge chunk of their income, but Alphabet has recently established another company Waymo, a self-driving car unit. Waymo is intended to provide cash flow for the holding company.

TechCrunch calls Alphabet’s performance in 2016 a transition year. They pointed out that Alphabet showed it is more than a search engine advertising business in 2016. Alphabet has been expanding into other industries because they know that depending on search revenue would lead to their downfall. It can’t stay afloat purely by monetizing desktop ads, which has been on the decline. Google’s cost-per-click decreased by 15% in 2016 Q4 compared to 2015 Q4.

What’s Next for Alphabet?

2016 was a good year for Alphabet as they worked on figuring out what comes next to them now that the era of desktop traffic is coming to an end. People aren’t going to stop using Google on their desktop computers, but Alphabet won’t be able to rely on that source of income forever as it slowly declines.

Some fields Alphabet has been experimenting with include virtual reality, voice-enabled interfaces, home automation, and self-driving automobiles. Although Alphabet’s other bets companies currently operate at a loss, as the company continues working on cutting what doesn’t work and improving what does, we’ll continue to watch them climb out of the red.

Image Source: Wikipedia

New Species of Gibbon Discovered, Scientists Call It Skywalker

By

new skywalker species of gibbon

A multinational team of scientists studying gibbons in the Chinese rainforest have discovered a new species. They have named the gibbon Skywalker. This gibbon lives mainly in the high tree tops swinging among the trees.Even though scientists have just discovered this species, they have already placed it on the endangered list.

Hunting, loss of habitat, and illegal trade are sadly the main threats to its existence. Many gibbon species, which also called lesser apes, are highly endangered. Therefore, the team is thrilled to have discovered it, but worried for its future.

What is the Skywalker Gibbon?

The Skywalker gibbon lives at the very top of the trees in the Chinese rainforest in the country’s Yunnan Province. This province is located in the far southwest corner of China. The scientists found this species living in the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve which is one of the most protected areas in the country.

Despite this fact, the scientists still had to climb to about 8,200 feet up the mountains, because the gibbons continue moving up towards higher areas. They have already lost their habitat to hunting below that level and have no choice but to slowly move upwards.

The whole trip was very demanding on the team, but they were thankful to have the opportunity to study gibbons in their natural environment. Scientists now recognize 13 species of gibbons. The Yunnan Province, where these gibbons live, is very rich in natural resources, and it is precisely the mining which constitutes a threat to their habitat.

The scientists behind the discovery are afraid that the gibbons may face even more problems if miners are allowed into the forest. The mining forces plan on separating the area into smaller segments, which could prove a serious threat to the gibbons’ habitat.

This new species of gibbon lives much higher off the ground than most gibbons in the area. Officially, the gibbon is called the Hoolock tianxing, but the scientists who are all Star Wars fans decided to call it the Skywalker gibbon, as a nickname.

At the moment, the scientists approximate that there may only be 200 Skywalker gibbons alive. They have a different song than any other gibbons previously known, and they have more light colored hair on the top of their heads.

Actor Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, is thrilled with the discovery tweeting:

So proud of this! First the Pez dispenser, then the Underoos & U.S. postage stamp… now this!

The scientists were very careful before they announced their finding. They carried out a full physical exam. They also examined this species DNA with other known species before declaring that they had found a new type of gibbon.

Why do Gibbons Sing?

Scientists started to suspect that they found a new species by listening to the gibbons song. Gibbons have very loud songs. The current hypothesis on it is that they use their songs to scare away possible predators, along with attracting potential mates, marking their territory, and strengthening bonds.

It’s also possible that these animals use their singing to tell other gibbons where danger lays. Since their songs will travel a long way, scientists even think that they use their singing to warn neighboring communities.

Previous research noted that gibbons have regional dialects. Therefore, scientists were able to listen in the early morning hours from their camp in the rainforest.

Once they identified the gibbons song, they ran through the mist to catch up with the gibbons. Over time, the scientists started recognizing that they were hearing two different songs.

Conclusion

Scientists are thrilled to have discovered a new species of gibbon in the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province, China. This brings the total number of gibbons to 13. Scientists believe that there are less than 200 of Sky Walker gibbons.

They are very worried that if mining is allowed to separate the reserve into smaller patches, these rare animals that were identified by their song will be even more threatened.

Image source: here.

Von Miller Fined $15,000 by His Teammates for Farting

By

Von Miller signing autographs

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller is hailed for his athleticism and team spirit. Unfortunately, this star player has one very embarrassing problem: flatulence. His trouble with farting in public has become so bad that the linebacker has been fined by his teammates for cutting the cheese in public places. Von Miller’s teammates were so disgusted with their teammate’s gas problem that they decided to charge him $500 every time they heard him pass gas. This season, Von Miller has paid $15,000 in fart fines. That’s a total of 30 public episodes of flatulence.

The Current Farting Tax For Von Miller

ESPN business analyst Darren Rovell first officially revealed Von Miller’s farting fine on his Twitter account. Rovell tweeted on Christmas day:


Since the time Rovell released this tweet at the end of last year, some people are wondering if the final price tag for this fine has gone up in recent weeks. People who know Von Miller might have already known this football player has serious problems with flatulence if they saw his interview with Nicki Jhabvala. For those who don’t know, Jhabvala is an NFL/Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. On June 3rd of 2015, Jhabvala tweeted:


With reference to his teammates, the linebacker told Jhabvala:

“They can’t fine me if I get up and walk away. It’s NOT healthy. I keep trying to tell them it’s not healthy if I just sit there and hold it in.”

According to medical science, Von Miller does make a good point. Doctors note that when we hold in our farts, the gas gets reabsorbed into our blood stream. This can cause abdominal pain, constipation, stomach bloating, and even bad breath. If you have a gas problem, doctors recommend eating food slowly, reducing stress, and exercising regularly. Despite the weight of scientific evidence in Von Miller’s favor, Miller’s teammates seem unwilling to forgive him for this embarrassing issue. Von Miller seemed distraught over his farting fines, but he has reportedly paid them all without complaint. Thankfully for Von Miller, he is making more than enough money to pay for his farting issues. Miller just recently signed a five-year contract, which will give him around $114 million.

Von Miller’s History Of Flatulence

This football star’s farting problem is becoming bigger with each passing year. Fans of the hit ABC show “Dancing With the Stars” will recall the linebacker was fined by his partner, Witney Carson McAllister, every time he farted in the dance studio. Even after being fined on this show, Von Miller kept letting them rip wherever and whenever he felt the urge. Von Miller took part in the most recent season of “Dancing With the Stars” and was eliminated from the dancing competition at the start of May.

What’s Next For the Football Superstar?

Despite all of this farting nonsense, things seem to be going well for Von Miller. He intends to stay with the Denver Broncos for as long as he can, and he plans on farting whenever he feels the urge to go. The football star told Jhabvala he knows of no one who actually holds their farts in, and he certainly isn’t about to start. He went on to admit that he

“just [does] it more than the average person.”

Wherever the linebacker goes in the future, you can be sure he won’t let social stigma get in the way of healthy digestion.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Push-Ups Helped a Teen Avoid Jail Time for Marijuana Consumption

By

man doing push ups

The teenager had to perform push-ups in order to avoid jail time.

Lieutenant Cook, a police officer with the Arlington, Texas, Police Department, was working a security detail when a patron told him there was a teenager smoking marijuana by the door. He saw the teen throw down the joint when he arrived in the area. Lieutenant Cook also smelled the pot. He could have arrested the teen, but he suddenly decided to take a different path. Approaching the young man who remained respectful, he told the teen that he would not pursue charges.

Why Did Lieutenant Cook Think About Push Ups?

The officer says that he had a flashback to his own younger days as he approached the young man. He remembered his football coach who used pushups as punishment. Therefore, the officer told the young man that if he gave him 200 push-ups, he would not arrest him. The boy dropped to the ground and gave him the push-ups. Another person caught the scene with a smartphone and posted it to Facebook. The video went viral.
Lieutenant Cook also went into the movie theater. He found the mother informing her of what happened. The mother gave the officer a hug. According to the officer, she gave her son a stern warning. She then turned to the officer saying:

“I would have made him do more push-ups.”

The officer says that he had never done something like this before. He says that he is thankful that his supervisor supported his actions. Cook also says that he suddenly appreciated what his coach had been trying to accomplish when he was in high school. It is his hope that the young man may someday remember what he did and pass it on one day.

Are There Other Officers Doing Good Things?

While the news is often filled with bad news against the police, there are other officers doing great things as well. These officers often see a need choosing to meet it out of their own pockets.

In September 2016, Officer Zach Stamper answered a call in Roeland Park, Kansas, about a suspicious man in the park. When he arrived, he met a man named Samuel Meixueiro who he discovered walked between five and six hours each day to work. The officer immediately went and got the man a bike and a duffle bag to keep his stuff in.

New York resident Jeff Roberts who was walking to a job interview after looking for months. He stopped a police officer to ask for directions. The police officer realized that Jeff would never get to the interview on time, so he gave him a ride. Despite looking for the cop after the interview to tell him thanks, he has never seen him again.

Officer Jeremy Herwood with the San Diego Police Department, the city police in San Diego, never expected it to be his last meal when he stopped at McDonald’s. While in the restaurant, he befriended a young boy who told him he was hungry. He also told the officer that he had no money. Jeremy brought the boy lunch along with his own. Moments later, he was fatally gunned down in a nearby ambush.

Conclusion

Lieutenant Cook saw a young man in Arlington, Texas, saw a young man smoking pot and told him to do pushups instead of taking him to jail. Other officers have brought transportation for people, gave people lifts, and even brought a hungry boy lunch. None expected anything in return. Maybe, everyone should draw inspiration from these officers examples by looking around them to find a need that needs to be met. In that way, the example of Lieutenant’s Cook football coach will continue to live on.

Image Source: Pixabay

King County Is Dealing With a Mumps Outbreak

By

baby receiving vaccine

The mumps outbreak could have been avoided through proper vaccination.

Cases of mumps in King County, Washington, where Seattle is located, continue to rise. As of January 4, 2017, there are 41 confirmed cases and 79 probable cases. Reported cases started in Auburn, Washington, on November 29, 2016. The original five cases were all in one family where the children were vaccinated. It has now spread to 11 cities where children attend six different schools. Mumps is a viral disease that can spread quickly.

What Is Causing Washington’s Mumps Outbreak?

The mumps outbreak seems to have started with one family in Auburn. In that case, four children and one adult got the mumps. All of the children had been vaccinated with the mumps vaccine. The vaccine is included in the MMR vaccine. Researchers with the United States Center for Disease Control which is responsible for helping to protect public health says that one dose is about 78 percent effective while getting two doses increases effectiveness to about 88 percent.

These latest cases are not the first time that there have been mumps cases in the United States. In 2006, the United States saw the largest outbreak of mumps in over 20 years when over 6,584 cases were reported. Doctors started giving the MMR vaccine in 1967 resulting in a 99 percent decrease in the number of cases seen. When the vaccine is given, the symptoms are usually much less severe.

Public health official Doctor Jeff Duchin says:

“To reduce the risk of becoming ill, everyone should be sure they are fully vaccinated against mumps with the MMR vaccine. If you or your child develops symptoms of mumps, please see a health care provider, even if you have been vaccinated.”

What Are the Mumps?

People who have mumps can experience a variety of symptoms. Most people run a fever. They also have an intense headache. Many also experience swelling in their jaw and cheeks. The person with mumps may feel very tired and ache all over. They may not feel like eating, and they may experience stomach pain. Similar to a sore throat, the person may have trouble swallowing.

In about 17 percent of cases, the person may have no symptoms allowing them to spread the virus without realizing that they are a carrier.

In rare cases, getting the mumps can be much more serious. It can result in viral meningitis causing swelling around the membranes surrounding the spinal cord and brain. If a person is going to get viral meningitis it usually starts three to seven days after a person gets the mumps. This type of meningitis is considered less severe than other types resulting in people normally getting better by themselves.

Mumps can also cause hearing loss in about five out of every 10,000 cases. The mumps virus damages the cochlea in the inner ear. This part contains hundreds of tiny hairs that capture air movement converting them to electrical signals before sending them to the brain.

Officials with the Kent County public health office asked the Auburn school to take the unusual step of asking parents who chose not to vaccinate their children to keep them home for 25 days. The official also recommended that any person having the mumps stay home for five days after all symptoms disappear.

Conclusion

Mumps will continue to plague America until the vaccine is improved as there is no way to completely eradicate this disease. This disease shows no symptoms in about 17 percent of cases while it makes other people feel very sick. Doctors recommend that those with the mumps stay home because it spreads through contact from one person to another or through touching a contaminated surface.

Image Source: Pixnio

Which Companies Will the President-Elect Hunt Down Next?

By

Donald Trump mid-speech

The president-elect has made a promise to hunt down all non-profitable companies.

Since President-Elect Donald Trump won the election on November 8th, he has made it a priority to go after companies that he views as failing the American consumer and the economy alike. He frequently makes his displeasure known through his infamous Twitter account. With the haste and skill with which he took on Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Trump has many in the American business community wondering what companies could be in his crosshairs in 2017 and beyond.

The Impact of Trump’s Tweets

Trump makes no secret of his preference of communicating with the American public via social media. He frequently sends out tweets from Twitter to address the public directly rather than using the mainstream media for this purpose. However, as witnessed in recent weeks, his tweets often bear the weight that could be devastating to a company’s stock.

After he openly questioned Boeing’s $4 billion price tag that was attached to the new Air Force One project, Trump singlehandedly sank the company’s stock for several consecutive days. While the stock eventually rose back to its pre-Tweet level, it clearly reacted to Trump’s targeted social media attack on Boeing.

Perhaps in a bid to get on Trump’s good side even before he takes office on January 20, Lockheed Martin quickly offered its help in creating a new Air Force One at a price tag that Trump would appreciate. In return, Lockheed Martin’s stock held its place solidly in the market and garnered favor from stock brokers and investors.

It is clear that Trump’s business prowess will play a definite role in how the economy evolves during his administration. Companies that normally courted the favor of the federal government have been put on edge and are now veritably scrambling to stay out of the way of President-elect Trump’s Twitter arrows. However, some of the businesses for which Trump may come next include Booz Allen Hamilton and Walmart, both for failing to deliver on promises of quality service and economic performance during Obama’s administration.

The Background of Trump’s Economic Vision

What exactly does President-elect Trump envision for the American economy? Is his vision folly or does he stand a chance of bringing it to fruition? The juries on both matters remain heavily engaged in debate. Nonetheless, President-elect Trump makes his plans clear on his campaign’s website as well as on his own social networking accounts. He says his plan for America is simple: Going forward with him as president, America will buy American products and make American products. This sweeping vision to bring as many jobs and businesses back to American soil is designed to boost the economy and put the masses back to work.

However, some companies continue to resist President-elect Trump every step of the way especially since they continue to reap the benefits of Obama’s tax breaks for keeping manufacturing jobs offshore. Many of these businesses are not taxed on what they earn internationally; they also do not have to pay taxes on products that they ship back to stateside. With incentives like those, why would they want to relocate their jobs and businesses back to the U.S.?

Conclusion

However, President-elect Trump vows to heavily tax businesses that refuse to bring factories and jobs back to U.S. at a rate of 30 percent at the border. While some businesses may be standing on principles right now, they may quickly change their mind once Trump is sworn in and takes control of the Oval Office. For their livelihood, they may have no choice but to cooperate with Trump’s vision of rebuilding the American economy with an influx of jobs and products that are made in the U.S.

Image source: Flickr

Elon Musk Rejoices as SpaceX Rocket Successfully Lands

By

Elon Musk smiling

Elon Musk was ecstatic when the Falcon rocket successfully landed.

Elon Musk is an engineer, investor, and inventor who is known for his interests in renewable energy and space travel. SpaceX is one of his most ambitious projects, and it successfully completed its first mission in 2015. On the one year anniversary of the SpaceX rocket success, National Geographic has released a video showing Musk’s reaction as he watched his spaceship make its historical landing.

New Footage Reveals Elon Musk’s Reaction to SpaceX Landing

SpaceX is the aerospace manufacturing company that is owned and operated by Elon Musk. It is one of the first privately funded space companies, so SpaceX can continue to make innovations even after the government slashed NASA funding. As the new National Geographic video shows, Musk is heavily invested in the SpaceX rocket projects.

The Falcon 9 was Musk’s pet project designed to make a reusable SpaceX rocket. The project started out by launching the Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket and dropping off a satellite in orbit. Everything went according to the plans, and then the really tricky part occurred. No rocket had ever landed in a reusable state before, so the potential landing at Cape Canaveral was really revolutionary.

The video shows Musk going through a completely understandable mix of anticipation and dread as the rocket starts to come down. He is visibly nervous to see if all his time and investments will work successfully. When the SpaceX rocket starts to land successfully, the entire SpaceX team erupts in cheers. When the rocket lands completely upright, ready to launch again, Musk is so overjoyed that he starts sprinting towards it. Alongside his team, he enthusiastically celebrates the revolutionary landing.

SpaceX Hopes to Continue Innovation by Perfect Reusable Rockets

As the video shows, Musk is not just an entrepreneur who wants to make money. He is truly enthusiastic about space travel, and Musk wants to eventually work towards creating colonies on Mars. As he looks back on the successful Falcon 9 landing, Musk muses:

“It’s kind of amazing that this window of opportunity is open for life to go beyond earth.”

The successful landing of the Falcon 9 rocket has a huge impact on future space travel. Rocket ships help to get items into space, but usually, they are a single use vehicle that is exorbitantly expensive. The only other reusable rockets developed cannot carry things into orbit.

After the first successful landing, SpaceX immediate begin launching reusable rockets. The next few months contained multiple rocket launches that delivered satellites and other things to space. All of these rockets successfully landed.

Sadly, Musk’s success came to a halt when a routine Falcon 9 launch exploded in 2016. This explosion destroyed a satellite they were launching for Facebook, and it raised many questions about the SpaceX rocket safety. The explosion has caused SpaceX to delay its future launches and focus on finding and fixing any issues with the Falcon 9 rockets. Musk still firmly believes that creating affordable, reusable rockets is the first step in making space travel available to the general public. Despite the delays, SpaceX still plans to launch astronaut-crewed rockets in 2018.

The Potential Impact of SpaceX

The innovative goals of SpaceX may one day have a huge impact on space travel. If he can manage to make space flights reasonably priced and safe, Musk may revolutionize the space industry. The impact on science and civilization is great, but in the video, Musk reveals that his real motivation is more courageous. As he says in the video, Musk believes that:

“creating a self-sustaining civilization on Mars…would be the greatest adventure ever.”

Image source: Flickr

Lakes Discovered in Antarctica That Shouldn’t Be There

By Leave a Comment

Lakes in AntarcticaBack in the day, Antarctica was thought to be nothing but solid ice. After all, the frigid temperatures alone make it impossible for ice to do much melting. However, climate change and global warming have created new circumstances in this cold region, and now scientists are discovering everything from holes and melted ice to lakes that should not be there.

Tech Times reports that a lake of fresh water was discovered under the Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, and it is not supposed to be there.

This ice shelf already floats on the ocean, but during a field survey, the team found that a massive freshwater lake rests underneath the ice shelf, which proves that it is in fact melting. After drilling through the ice shelf, researchers found a lake that rests in between the surface and the base that sits on the ocean. In total, there were 55 lakes.

Melting Ice Could Promote Ice Shelf Collapse

While the lakes are breathtaking to look at and quite surprising, the fact that there are lakes inside of the glaciers is not something to celebrate: it is something to fear.

Nature World News reports that these lakes are an indication that the entire ice shelf may collapse very soon – potentially in one’s lifetime.

The ice shelf is no longer considered stable by researchers, and the area is extremely vulnerable.

An educational post on the dangers of these lakes highlights the fact that while the ice shelf is floating in the ocean, the ocean levels will rise once that ice sheet melts. In fact, if all of the shelves were to melt, the ocean would be 58 meters higher than it is today.

The ice shelves are floating ice surrounding Antarctica, and they play a role in border control. They are what creates resistance for the ice, and they prevent land ice from melting and adding to the sea level. Once these floating ice shelves give way, there will be nothing protecting the world from the ice that melts off the land.

Why are Ice Shelves Melting?

The biggest reason for the melt is the global warming and climate changes the atmosphere has experienced over the past decade. Warming at the bottom of the ocean is forcing these ice shelves to warm from the inside out; making them extremely unstable and prone to collapse.

The water is not stored in just the lakes, according to the report. It is also draining and flowing like rivers. As that water drains and flows through the ice shelf, it will create more melt.

The researchers concluded that the situation they found used only to be present in East Antarctica is no longer. Now the East is exhibiting symptoms like Greenland and West areas, where the warmer climates allow for some melt.

While the ice shelves are not unstable as of yet, researchers fear that with temperature increases, these ice shelves will continue to break apart and melt.

Categories

Contact Us:

E-Mail: info@guardianherald.com

Social