An ice bridge linking the Wilkins Ice Shelf, in Antarctica, has broken. Scientists say the collapse could mean the ice shelf, which is the size of Jamaica, is on the brink of breaking away and provides further evidence of rapid change in the region.
Sited on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Wilkins Ice Shelf has been retreating since the 1990s. Researchers regarded the ice bridge as an important barrier, holding the remnant shelf structure in place.
“The fact that it’s retreating and now has lost connection with one of its islands is really a strong indication that the warming on the Antarctic is having an effect on yet another ice shelf.” Professor David Vaughan, British Antarctic Survey
European Space Agency satellite pictures had indicated last week that cracks were starting to appear in the bridge. Newly created icebergs were seen to be floating in the sea on the western side of the peninsula, which juts up from the continent towards South America’s southern tip.
While the break-up of the Wilkins Ice Shelf will have no direct impact on sea level because the ice is floating, it heightens concerns over the impact of climate change on this part of Antarctica.
From BBC News
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This video demonstrates that a radical transformation can occur in nature in a short period of time, and when something takes centuries to build and mere decades to destroy it becomes obvious that we are having a dramatic effect on the environment – and reversal of trends won’t happen quickly.