The Larsen C ice shelf collapse hammers home the reality of global warming

By John Abraham 12 June 2017 (The Guardian) – Very soon, a large portion of an ice shelf in Antarctica will break off and collapse into the ocean. The name of the ice shelf is Larsen C; it is a major extension from of the West Antarctic ice sheet, and its health has implications for […]

Massive crack in Antarctica ice shelf grows 11 miles in 6 days – 8 miles remain before Delaware-sized iceberg calves – “It will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula”

By Doyle Rice 1 June 2017 (USA TODAY) – A massive crack in an Antarctic ice shelf grew by 11 miles in the past six days as one of the world’s biggest icebergs ever is poised to break off. The crack in the Larsen C ice shelf is now about 120 miles long, and only […]

Miles of Antarctic ice collapsing into the sea – “I don’t think the biblical deluge is just a fairy tale”

By Justin Gillis 18 May 2017 (The New York Times) – We went to Antarctica to understand how changes to its vast ice sheet might affect the world. Flowing lines on these maps show how the ice is moving. Ice sheets flow downhill, seemingly in slow motion. Mountains funnel the ice into glaciers. And ice […]

Water is streaming across Antarctica – New survey finds liquid flow more widespread than thought

19 April 2017 (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) – In the first such continent-wide survey, scientists have found extensive drainages of meltwater flowing over parts of Antarctica’s ice during the brief summer. Researchers already knew such features existed, but assumed they were confined mainly to Antarctica’s fastest-warming, most northerly reaches. Many of the newly mapped drainages are […]

The Doomsday Glacier – “If there is going to be a climate catastrophe, it’s probably going to start at Thwaites”

By Jeff Goodell9 May 2017 (Rolling Stone) – In the farthest reaches of Antarctica, a nightmare scenario of crumbling ice – and rapidly rising seas – could spell disaster for a warming planet. Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is so remote that only 28 human beings have ever set foot on it. Knut Christianson, a […]

Irreversible ocean warming threatens the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf – “We can already see the first signs of this trend today”

11 May 2017 (Alfred Wegener Institute) – By the second half of this century, rising air temperatures above the Weddell Sea could set off a self-amplifying meltwater feedback cycle under the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, ultimately causing the second-largest ice shelf in the Antarctic to shrink dramatically. Climate researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre […]

Video: Flyover of Larsen C Ice Shelf crack, February 2017

21 February 2017 (British Antarctic Survey) – Currently a huge iceberg, roughly the size of Norfolk, looks set to break off Larsen C Ice Shelf, which is more than twice the size of Wales. Satellite observations from February 2017 show the growing crack in the ice shelf which suggests that an iceberg with an area […]

Antarctic ice shelf rift grew 17 miles in the last two months

By Jugal K. Patel7 February 2017 (The New York Times) – A rapidly advancing crack in Antarctica’s fourth-largest ice shelf has scientists concerned that it is getting close to a full break. The rift has accelerated this year in an area already vulnerable to warming temperatures. Since December, the crack has grown by the length […]

Massive iceberg set to break off Antarctic ice shelf – “We are watching with bated breath”

By Doyle Rice2 February 2017 (USA TODAY) – It’s the crack that’s captivating the world. A 110-mile-long rift in an Antarctic ice shelf promises to eventually shear off and create a massive iceberg larger than Rhode Island. For now, it’s fascinating scientists, gamblers and the public worldwide. Everyone wants to know when part of the […]

Huge Antarctic iceberg poised to break away

By Matt McGrath5 January 2017 (BBC News) – An iceberg expected to be one of the 10 largest ever recorded is ready to break away from Antarctica, scientists say. A long-running rift in the Larson C ice shelf grew suddenly in December and now just 20km of ice is keeping the 5,000 sq km piece […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial