Not Niagara Falls, not Angel Falls, but the world’s largest waterfall is one that humans cannot even see, and will never in their lifetime. The secret waterfall might be hidden, yet it impacts how Earth functions. Where is the world’s largest waterfall?
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Earth’s largest waterfall is hiding in the ocean. The Denmark Strait cataract is buried inside Arctic waters and stretches over 11,500 feet. In comparison, the Niagara Falls, comprising three parts, has its highest point measuring only 181 feet. Angel Falls, located in Venezuela, has a height of 3,212 feet and is the highest waterfall in the world. Yet, it dwarfs in front of the Denmark Strait, which, despite being gigantic, is not visible. The humongous fall has a mighty descent, but no one has ever heard its roar. It does not even release a mist to signal its presence. This waterfall lies between Iceland and Greenland and starts thousands of feet below the surface. The Denmark Strait cataract was discovered decades ago by testing the temperature and salinity profiles through the channel. It follows completely different principles from waterfalls found on land that form when rivers spill over cliffs. The Denmark Strait is a submarine cascade which is a result of the denser, colder water gushing in from the Nordic Sea. As it crashes downward into the Atlantic Ocean, it quickly spreads, with over 3.2 million cubic meters of water flowing per second. This is way more than the Amazon River’s flow into the Atlantic.
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The Last Ice Age carved the ridge 11,500 years ago
The plunge happens because of a submerged ridge left behind by glaciers during the Last Ice Age. This happened roughly 17,500 to 11,500 years ago. Over the years, glacial debris, volcanic eruptions and continuous currents have hardened it. As the water falls over it, a massive waterfall is created, which is nothing humans can even imagine. The Denmark Strait cataract is not simply the world’s largest waterfall. Its presence miles under the ocean plays a crucial role in regulating the world’s climate. As the world heats up, scientists warn that this waterfall could also undergo changes, triggering alterations in weather across the world. The channelling of cold water from the Nordic Sea into the Atlantic supports a process known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). It is what dictates the weather patterns across the world by distributing heat and nutrients to all parts of the world. The ocean life would be very different without it, as would the low temperatures of Europe, and the marine life thriving in the world’s oceans. In short, this undersea waterfall is vital to how the world functions.
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Climate change and impact on Earth’s largest waterfall
However, climate change is threatening the Denmark Strait cataract also. The warming Arctic waters could affect the salinity and temperature of the ocean water that flows into this portion of the ocean. This could upset the waterfall’s flow, slowing it down or changing it entirely. If this happens, weather patterns will be altered, ocean temperatures would go up, and hurricanes would get stronger and might even veer off on unknown paths. Marine scientist Anna Sanchez Vidal highlights one place which is already feeling the effects of changes on the undersea waterfall. “A good example is on the Catalan coast, where the decrease in the number of tramontane days in winter in the Gulf of Lion and north of the Catalan coast is causing a weakening of this oceanographic process, which is decisive in regulating the climate and has a great impact on deep ecosystems,” she says.
NOTE – This article was originally published in wionews and can be viewed here
