Runaway ice chunk in Antarctica worries scientists

WASHINGTON : A chunk of Antarctic ice seven times the size of Manhattan Island has suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk, according to scientists.

[Tanya]

won't this cause a sunami?

[Mr_Bill]

Tanya wrote:

won't this cause a sunami?

Unlikely.
Locally, it may have been rough, but a Tsunami is usually the result of a large underwater displacement. Stuff on the surface is more likely to dissipate. This is supposition, and educated guessing on my part, so be careful at the beach tomorrow.

[Kerdy 1]

I suppose this has NEVER happened at any point in history.

[Crocker]

blame it on "us" ...
we're the one who caused it
silly us~

[Aquarius-WY]

Well if they are worried about it, perhaps they should get out of it's way. My momma didn't raise no dummy.
Gee, I wonder what happened to all that ice that used to be where I am currently sitting that left all these glacial morraines around here. Oh, wait, let me guess...did it melt? I'm just guessing here, but I figger it melted. I wonder how many Flintstone mobiles it took to cause that. I must have been a bunch of em.

[Aquarius-WY]

It must have been a bunch of em. Sorry.

[Guess Who]

Tanya wrote:

won't this cause a sunami?

ust be all those microwaves....

[Guess Who]

Now we get glacial drift.....

[EJT]

Wonder if there is any truth that if enough of the ice shelf broke off at one time it would cause the earth's mantle to slide far enough to distort the poles and cause climactic upheaval that would lead to massive extinctions?
Granted this theory was from a Dirk Pitt novel by Clive Cussler.
Well, if it is all over I should just leave Iraq now and go home. No sense being here anymore now.

[Guess Who]

Ice wars is a new one....

[Guess Who]

Well if someone can't get there ice it back maybe they want to float it back...LOL

[Guess Who]

Anyone ever tried to microwave a sheet of ice? Mt microwave is broke so I can't experiment....

[Guess Who]

EJT wrote:

Wonder if there is any truth that if enough of the ice shelf broke off at one time it would cause the earth's mantle to slide far enough to distort the poles and cause climactic upheaval that would lead to massive extinctions?
Granted this theory was from a Dirk Pitt novel by Clive Cussler.
Well, if it is all over I should just leave Iraq now and go home. No sense being here anymore now.

Could make some ships extinct....

[RussellWilsonSit tingmoose]

Set ocean-going Tugs and ice-cutting vessles to the task of towing those 'New York'- class bergs
off to the drought-stricken regions of Africa.And
all points of such need...... Why let 'em go to waste?!

[Guess Who]

Anyone tried to microwave a sheet of curved ice to see what it would do?? My microwave is not working....

[Guess Who]

What is under that ice?

[Guess Who]

Looks like more ice....Is this an ice scare?

[Guess Who]

Ice scream.....

[Guess Who]

Is that what Labron james is saying ....? LOL

[Canada]

FYI another version Chunk of Antarctic ice shelf collapses global warming blamed about the size of Newfounland & Labrador Canada

Posted by Canada Yesterday

On the Net:

The National Snow and Ice Data Center: http://nsidc.org

The British Antarctic Survey: http://www.bas.ac.uk/

- A chunk of Antarctic ice about the size of Newfoundland and Labrador suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk, scientists said Tuesday.

Satellite images show the runaway disintegration of a 414-square-kilometre 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 twice the size of Prince Edward Island, 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. The part that recently gave way makes up about four per cent of the overall shelf, but it is an important part that can trigger further collapse.

There is still a chance the rest of the ice shelf will survive until next year because this is the end of the Antarctic summer and colder weather is setting in, Vaughan said...

http://www.topix.net/forum/world/canada/TO5SI...