An ice bridge that was linking the Wilkins Ice Shelf to 2 islands in Antarctica has broken. The Ice Shelf, which is on the western side of Antarctica, is the size of Jamaica, and there is now concern that it will break away.
Professor David Vaughan, a glaciologist with the British Antarctic Survey, planted a GPS tracker on the ice bridge in January to monitor its movement. He said that the shelf had been very stable since at least the 193os until it started to retreat in the late 1990s. This is another strong indication that global warming is affecting Antarctica.
Since it is ice that is floating, it won’t directly affect sea levels, but research has shown that when ice shelves such as this are removed, that glaciers and land ice behind them can move towards the sea more rapidly.
There is more on the BBC’s website.
facinating…it does not bode well. How high are you above sea level?
43rd floor, so we should be alright. I’m not sure how we’ll get out of the lift lobby though!
This is unbelievable. For so many years I couldn’t think that calamities would be this worst and very dangerous. ;(..