South Africa stands: Dürre and geology as the causes in the focus

<p> <strong> South Africa stands: Dürre and geology as the causes in the focus </strong> </p>

South Africa rises every year - research team makes important discovery

A remarkable discovery is currently making waves in science: every year the state of South Africa rises by a few millimeters. This phenomenon was found by inpatient GPS recipients that are distributed across the entire country. The data in recent years show that an average increase of six millimeters was measured between 2012 and 2020, as Makan Karegar from the Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformation at the University of Bonn explains.

The causes of the land survey

Originally, research assumed that geological processes are the main cause of this unnecessary elevation. In the underground of South Africa, the Quathlamba coat plume lies, which brings hot material from large depths to the surface of the earth. While this material actually contributes to raising the earth's crust, Karegar and his team suspect that other factors also play a role. In particular, the hypothesis was set up that losses on ground and surface water could contribute to the elevation.

new knowledge from research

The University of Bonn has further examined this hypothesis. The results are published in the specialist magazine Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth . The research team describes the behavior of the earth's crust as an analogous to a foam ball: when pressure is removed from the surface, the ball expands. Similarly, the earth's crust is raised when water is missing as a pressure source. These findings were supported by analyzes of regional precipitation patterns.

Influence of drought time

The researchers found that the land masses rose more after dry phases. Satellite data of the "Grace" mission that measures the gravitational forces on earth support this observation. The data show that a lower water resource correlates with a stronger elevation of the country. Hydrological models underpin these results and confirm the connection between lack of water and land survey.

meaning in the context of climate change

The results of this study are particularly relevant in view of the climate change and the associated increase in drought time. The GPS data could help quantify the effects of such climatic changes on water resources. The research team emphasizes that such measurements could be decisive in order to better understand the consequences of drought and to develop proactive measures to counter the challenges of climate change.