ATTENTION PEOPLE!!! THIS CONCERN EVERYONE!!!
Antarctica's massive Wilkins Ice Shelf has begun disintegrating under the effects of global warming, The collapse of a substantial section of the ice shelf was triggered on February 28 when an iceberg measuring 41 by 2.4 kilometers broke off its southwestern front.
That movement led to disintegration of the shelf's interior, of which 414 square kilometers has already disappeared.
As a result, a large part of the 12,950 square kilometer Wilkins Ice Shelf -- Antarctica's largest ---- is now supported by a 5.6kilometer (3.5 mile) strip of ice between two islands "If there is a little bit more retreat, this last 'ice buttress' could collapse and we'd likely lose about half the total ice shelf area in the next few years,"
said a scientist.
Over the past half century, the western Antarctic Peninsula has experienced the biggest temperature
increase on Earth, 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade."We believe the Wilkins has been in place for at
least a few hundred years, but warm air and exposure to ocean waves are causing a breakup," said Scambos, who first spotted the disintegration in March.
With the Antarctic summer drawing to a close, scientist does not expect the ice shelf to further disintegrate in the next several months.
"This unusual show is over for this season," said Scambos. "But come January, we'll be watching to see if the Wilkins continues to fall apart."
Ice shelf breakup in the Antarctic -- more than 13,000 square kilometers have been lost over the past 50 years – could significantly increase ocean levels around the world.
According to some calculations based on present sea level rise of three millimeters per year, ocean levels could rise by 1.4 meters by the end of the century.
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Warmest Regard
Zhi yuan
