Pine Island Glacier Sheds Manhattan-Sized Iceberg; Fastest Grounding Line Retreat On Continent

[hatrack]

The growing crack in the Larsen C ice shelf is the most dramatic example of change in Antarctica right now. But it isn’t the continent’s only frozen feature changing in a warming world. Ice around the continent is disappearing as the air and water heat up and the less dramatic breakdowns are just as important to understanding the fate of the ice and the world’s coastal areas.



The Pine Island Glacier on the coast of West Antarctica is a case in point. A massive iceberg roughly 225 square miles in size — or in more familiar terms, 10 times the size of Manhattan — broke off in July 2015. Scientists subsequently spotted cracks in the glacier on a November 2016 flyover. And in January, another iceberg cleaved off the glacier.

Satellite imagery captured the most recent calving event, which Ohio State glaciologist Ian Howat said “ is the equivalent of an ‘aftershock’” following the July 2015 event. The iceberg was “only” the size of Manhattan, underscoring just how dramatic the other breakups have been.

The ocean under Pine Island Glacier’s ice shelf has warmed about 1°F since the 1990s. That’s causing the ice shelf to melt and pushing the grounding line — the point where the ice begins to float — back toward land, creating further instability. Since 1992, Pine Island and some of its glacial brethren in West Antarctica have seen the fastest grounding line retreat of any glaciers on the continent.

EDIT

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/antarctica-iceberg-climate-21167

[Achilleaze]

1. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to lie to Americans about reality

and to accelerate climate chaos by putting fracking oil freaks in charge of every-freaking-thing under the scalding Sun.

Why do republicans hate reality? Why do they hate the truth? Why are they out to destroy our earth?



You should post this in GD, hatrack, it's important...Thanks for posting here.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Kicking it up a notch...