University of Kansas researchers have played a role in discovering a massive aquifer within the ice layers of a glacier in Greenland.

The school says radar technology that was used to find the hidden pool of water was developed by researchers at the university’s Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets.

The aquifer is the size of Ireland. Scientists say its discovery could provide more details on how much old compacted snow flows into the sea when it melts and how much is left behind in the ice sheet to refreeze.

The discovery was detailed in the Dec. 22 issue of the scientific journal Nature. A University of Utah professor led the research project, and four University of Kansas researchers were cited as contributing authors.