Massive Antarctic ice shelf set to break loose (finally... Wilkins Ice Shelf)

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 4/3/09 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

PARIS (AFP) – A Jamaica-sized ice shelf is close to wrenching itself away from Antarctica, following dramatic weakening of an ice "bridge" linking it to the continent, the European Space Agency (ESA) reported Friday.

The icy umbilical cord tying the Wilkins Ice Shelf to two islands on the Antarctic peninsula "looks set to collapse," ESA said.

The evidence comes from radar pictures taken on Thursday by its Envisat Earth-monitoring satellite, the Paris-based agency said in a press release.

Scientists have been keeping a worried eye on this ice shelf for years.

For many, it is a barometer of global warming, which has hit the Antarctic peninsula harder than almost any region on Earth.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf was stable for most of the last century, covering around 16,000 square kilometres (6,000 square miles) before it began to retreat in the 1990s.

By May 2009, an ice bridge, about 2.7 kms (1.7 miles) wide on average and just 900 metres (yards) at its narrowest point, was all that connected it to Charcot and Latady islands.

[NormsRevenge]

Keyword Wilkins for earlier threads
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wilkins/index

[colorado tanker]

Wow, a big iceberg about to calf off at the end of the Antarctic summer. That’s never happened before. Must be a catastrophe! We’re all gonna die!

[NormsRevenge]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090403080827.htm

Collapse Of The Ice Bridge Supporting Wilkins Ice Shelf Appears Imminent

ScienceDaily (Apr. 3, 2009) — The Wilkins Ice Shelf is at risk of partly breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula as the ice bridge that connects it to Charcot and Latady Islands looks set to collapse. The beginning of what appears to be the demise of the ice bridge began this week when new rifts forming along its centre axis resulted in a large block of ice breaking away.

[JeanLM]

Why should we care? It won’t change the ocean level because it’s already floating and there aren’t any polar bears down there to worry about. Last I checked the actual temperature in Antartica was not going up, but was actually going down. So other than reducing the penguin landing areas, what bad thing does this event portend?

[Travis T. OJustice]

For many, it is a barometer of global warming, which has hit the Antarctic peninsula harder than almost any region on Earth.

That makes no sense.

[NormsRevenge]

Wilkins Ice Shelf from 26 November to 11 December

http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM2DKSTGOF_index_0.html

‘Webcam’ from Space – Envisat observing Wilkins Ice Shelf

[hugorand]

Obama administration to pledge $1 Trillion dollar to reattach the ice cube.

[gracesdad]

“The Wilkins Ice Shelf had been stable for most of the last century before it began retreating in the 1990s. Scientists are currently investigating the reasons and processes of the recent ice shelf break-ups and whether the current situation is linked to the extraordinary warming during the past 50 years, in which the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed by 2.5°C – far more than the global average.”

[TheRightGuy]

For many, it is a barometer of global warming, which has hit the Antarctic peninsula harder than almost any region on Earth.

That's the problem with these moonbats, trying to use a barometer to measure global warming instead of a thermometer.

[GraceG]

Ice shelves move into the ocean primarily because of Ice further “upstream” pushing down on forcing them to move towards the sea.

If it stopped snowing in Antarctica the ice would be slowing down it’s move to the sea.

[silverleaf]

Question they won’t answer

is it warming from above

or from volcanic venting underneath the south pole??

[traderrob6]

I thought the Antarctic was actually cooling.

[1curiousmind]

“or from volcanic venting underneath the south pole??”

__________________________

What? Did the earth have too much Chile?

[wombtotomb]

come on guys, where’s the ooooohhhh nnnnoooozzz guys?

[silverleaf]

It may be, making this an even bigger lie

But the fact is, if volcanic activity is increasing worldwide the Antarctic region might be also affected

There is an entire buried world with mountain ranges, streams etc ...2 miles under that ice, so some claim

Check out the Piri Reis map story

http://members.tripod.com/~Zomb/ANTARCTI.HTM

[Ed Condon]

“A Jamaica-sized ice shelf”

It’s those Moonbats again! How many average slobs have any idea how large Jamaica is?
PUT THE DIMENSIONS in a size that we beer swiggin’, red necked, gun totin’, pick-up drivin’, good ole boys kin understand. SIZE THE ICE IN FOOTBALL FIELDS!!!

[NormsRevenge]

Obama administration to pledge $1 Trillion dollar to reattach the ice cube.

I like your drift. Can we get it in small bills to make it harder to track where the dough goes? ;-)

[Uncle Miltie]

IIRC: “Global Warming” has caused a massive increase in the snow and ice-pack in Antarctica.

Kinda like all that snow in Fargo being blamed on “Global Warming.”

[mountainlion]

Don’t they say that is going to happen about every year? I this the same ice the size of California that they could not find because of the sensors? Is this the ice shelf that NOVA said was lubricated by melting caused by a Volcano? Is this another global warming fraud? Is this a hoax?