The white strip in the photo above shows the beginnings of a breakup of one of the ice shelves in Antarctica. Scientists expect it to continue and in their words, "it will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula.” Ice shelves keep glaciers in place. If the breakup continues, it is likely that global sea levels will rise by almost four inches.
The rift has grown about 50 miles since 2011, 11 miles of which have happened since the beginning of December. It has now widened to over 1,000 feet and only 12 miles of ice continue to connect the chunk with the rest of the ice shelf.
No comments:
Post a Comment