Antarctic Ice Chunk 7 Times The Size Of Manhattan Collapses

[CatWoman]

WASHINGTON — A chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk, scientists said Tuesday.

Satellite images show the runaway disintegration of a 160-square-mile chunk in western Antarctica, which started Feb. 28. It was the edge of the Wilkins ice shelf and has been there for hundreds, maybe 1,500 years.

This is the result of global warming, said British Antarctic Survey scientist David Vaughan.

Because scientists noticed satellite images within hours, they diverted satellite cameras and even flew an airplane over the ongoing collapse for rare pictures and video.

"It's an event we don't get to see very often," said Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo. "The cracks fill with water and slice off and topple... That gets to be a runaway situation."

While icebergs naturally break away from the mainland, collapses like this are unusual but are happening more frequently in recent decades, Vaughan said. The collapse is similar to what happens to hardened glass when it is smashed with a hammer, he said.

The rest of the Wilkins ice shelf, which is about the size of Connecticut, is holding on by a narrow beam of thin ice. Scientists worry that it too may collapse. Larger, more dramatic ice collapses occurred in 2002 and 1995.

Vaughan had predicted the Wilkins shelf would collapse about 15 years from now.

Scientists said they are not concerned about a rise in sea level from the latest event, but say it's a sign of worsening global warming.

Such occurrences are "more indicative of a tipping point or trigger in the climate system," said Sarah Das, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

(This version CORRECTS size of collapsed chunk to 160 square miles))

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/25/western-antarctic-ice-chu_n_93360.html

[happyslug]

1. Duplicate. see Greatest Page for earlier article on this subject

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3242370

[Uncle Joe]

5. That was under a different forum; Lastest Breaking News. n/t

[happyslug]

9. Yes, but I did the Dupilcate more to bring people attention to it. then anything else.

No Text (N/T)

[Uncle Joe]

10. Peace to you, happyslug.

:hi:

[DemocratInSoCal]

2. Too Bad Al Gore Isn't Running For President

Somehow he actually believes that either of the two current Democratic candidates, gives 2 shits about the global warming issue.

At least he's free for the next few years, to travel around and do his little slide show, and laugh about how he was once the "next President of the United States." Ha Ha Ha.

I'm still certain his voice would have been more widely heard, had he run again in '08. He's naive, at best, if he thinks anything positive will come during the next presidency. I doubt the issue has been keeping Obama or Clinton up nights.

[sandnsea]

4. What a stupid thing to say

Let me get this straight. Nader said that Al Gore didn't give 2 shits about the environment or corporatism, and pissed all over the Democratic Party. Now you're saying that only Al Gore cares about anything - and there isn't any other Democrat that could possibly care as much as Gore??

:shrug:

[spin]

14. Maybe Al Gore will end up running for president....

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/mar/24/mark-tomasik-dont-discount-gore-led-ticket/

[PCIntern]

3. An old girlfriend once said that to me years ago...n/t

[SpiralHawk]

6. "No problema. That's just fact-based reality." - Commander AWOL

"Neither the Bible nor my intimate family friend, and beloved patron of republicon homelander cronies, Rev. "I-claim-to be-the-Second-Coming-of-Christ" Moon, say a goshdarn thing about this kind of disaster. And the ice in my cocktail is just fine. So sit down and shut up with these whacko-hippy, puppy-snuggling, lib-rul Global Warming conspiracy facts. Smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[SpiralHawk]

8. "What you said, beloved Commander AWOL! We republicons gotta stand strong on this." - Rush

"We can't let a big stinking bunch of reality mess up our ongoing campaign of radical, corporate DENIAL. That would be letting those pointy-headed, latte-drinking climatologists score some points. So let's all give a BIG FAT REPUBLICON SNEER to this massive ice break, and tell those lib-rul realists to bugger off."

- Rush "Draft-Dodging Drug User" Limbaugh,
official grossly overpaid republicon homelander propagandist & demagogue

[Uncle Joe]

7. Thanks for the thread, CatWoman,

and I owe you a high from another thread.:hi:

Kicked and recommended.

[CatWoman]

11. !!

:hi:

[IcyPeas]

12. So?

:sarcasm:

[Kingofalldems]

13. That iceberg volunteered

[mzmolly]

15. I'm sure the free market will get right on this!

:crazy:

In all seriousness, this is is disturbing sh-t.

[SpiralHawk]

16. "Yup." - Republicon corporate media propagnada echo chamber

eom