Satellite photos unveil Antarctica disaster: Crack in Larsen C ice shelf expands at high rate

A massive crack in one of Antarctica’s ice shelves seem to spark serious concerns within the scientific community.

larsen c rift

Current position of the rift on Larsen C, as of January 19 2017 (projectmidas.org)

British researchers working on MIDAS project have been monitoring for years the condition of glaciers in Antarctica, but now they stunningly noticed that the developing cut across Larsen C Ice Sheet is already 175 km long and 3 km wide.

The rift expanded considerably over the past 3 months and will “soon” lead to the break-up of the largest shelf ever observed. Since last December, Larsen C fissure has increased by 27 km. The rift threatens to calve an iceberg measuring more than 5,000 sq. km, that’s almost the size of the US state of Delaware.

Larsen C crack

Worrying rift progresses across Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf (public domain)

When it calves, the Larsen C Ice Shelf will lose more than 10% of its area to leave the ice front at its most retreated position ever recorded; this event will definitely change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula.

MIDAS researchers wanted to make it clear that Larsen C rift is not caused by global warming but a purely natural phenomenon. “We have no evidence to link this event to climate change. Although the general southward progression of ice shelf decay down the Antarctic Peninsula has been linked to a warming climate, this rift appears to have been developing for many decades, and the result is probably natural.”

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Unfortunately, the melting of a significant portion of the ice shelf will lead to climate change with global effects. However, the melting will take place over years or even decades.

“The breakup of the ice sheet can occur at anytime, over a few days or a few years. But it is more likely to happen in the coming months,” reads a note from MIDAS project.

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