This can, in turn, trigger new ice cracks and rifting, and cause more icebergs to break off – further increasing the possibility of runaway ice loss amid rising global temperatures. The new ice berg reduced the ice shelf area by more than 12 percent when it broke off, leaving behind an ice shelf that is inherently unstable. Scientists worry that the remnant Larsen C ice shelf will now be at considerable risk of further breakup.Ħ climate tipping points that concern scientists When an ice shelf collapses or becomes weaker, this defense disappears, allowing inland glaciers to accelerate downslope and transport more ice to the ocean, which can quickly affect sea level. Ice shelves are floating extensions of grounded glaciers and ice sheets that, importantly, buttress and impede inland ice flow. We do know that this latest ice separation could set in motion a string of chain reactions that further destabilize the ice shelf and surrounding glaciers, and ultimately contribute to global sea level rise. Such changes will help raise global sea levels by 3 to 6 feet by 2100, projections show, affecting dense coastal communities along our Eastern seaboard and across the globe. Warming in the peninsula exceeds the global average, glaciers there are retreating, and two other ice shelves on the peninsula already collapsed over the past couple of decades after being stable for thousands of years. The Antarctic Peninsula, where the Larsen ice shelves reside, has long been viewed as a frontline for climate change. Still, the magnitude and timing of this ice loss warrants attention. Without them, ice shelves would grow unabated to cover large swaths of the Southern Ocean. Indeed, such events – known to scientists as “calving” – occur naturally and are essential for maintaining ice shelf balance. So far, scientists have been hesitant to attribute the Larsen C ice shelf breakup to rising global temperatures. Antarctica: A frontline for climate change Now they’re left with some critical questions: What are this event’s broader consequences for the Antarctic ice sheet, what happens next, and – importantly – what role did climate change play here?įor now, it serves as yet another reminder that Antarctica is changing rapidly – and that action to curb rising global temperatures is critical. Scientists had been observing the anomalous rift widening across a section of the so-called Larsen C ice shelf for the past several years. Scientists watched with alarm this week as the fourth-largest ice shelf in Antarctica rapidly broke apart, causing an enormous, Delaware-size iceberg to float into the Southern Ocean. student of glaciology at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. – Hutto is a writer whose work can be found on McSweeney’s, the New Yorker and Reductress.This post was co-authored by Mason Fried, a Ph.D. Russia: Iceberg Is Big Like Bear, but Also Weak and Breaks Like American Political System North Korea: Iceberg Submits to Glorious Leader Kim Jong Un’s Order to Break Off of Antarctica Washington, D.C.: An Iceberg the Size of Delaware Breaks off of Antarctica (Seriously, Delaware is Bigger than We Thought – Why Are We Still Living Near The White House?) New Jersey: An Iceberg the Size of the Potholes in the George Washington Bridge Breaks off of Antarctica Chris Christie Claims Ice for His Family’s Daiquiri PartyĮngland: Massive Iceberg Breaks off of Antarctica Theresa May Plans Vote on Banning it from Melting in English Waters New York City: An Iceberg with Unfortunately No Vacant Apartments Breaks Off of Antarctica Northern California: An Iceberg Bigger than Snapchat’s IPO Breaks Off of AntarcticaĬanada: An Iceberg the Size of the Wall We’re Secretly Thinking About Building on the Southern Border Breaks off of Antarctica Southern California: Why It’s Now OK to Put Ice Cubes in Your Chardonnay Boca Raton, Fla.: An Iceberg the Length of Pearl’s Bathroom Break During the Bridge Game Breaks off of Antarctica
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