Even with all the denial about the dangers of global warming going on, evidence for it still abounds, with the most recent event being an ice bridge in the Antarctic rupturing and breaking apart. The ice bridge linked a shelf of ice the size of Jamaica to two islands, and scientists say that this recent collapse is proof of major and rapid climate changes in the region. It could also mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf is on the edge of breaking away itself.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf has been shrinking since the ’90s, and without this ice bridge in place, the area is lacking a crucial barrier that was keeping the shelf in place. Ice can now float freely between the two islands, Latady and Charcot islands, and out into open ocean. And the shelf itself, or at least part of it, is likely not far behind.

Scientists say that the ice bridge snapping should have no immediate or direct impact on the sea level rising, but it is an important flag indicating that the area is rapidly warming up, as the Wilkins Ice Shelf has thought to have been incredibly stable for decades now. Over the last 50 years, the peninsula and surrounding area have been one of the fastest warming places on the entire planet. Cracks in the ice bridge were first noticed last week via satellite, indicating that the bridge would likely rupture soon. New icebergs were also spotted in the ocean west of the peninsula, which reaches up towards the southernmost tip of South America.

When ice shelves collapse and disappear, it allows the landed ice and glaciers behind them to move more rapidly towards the open water of the ocean, which can cause sea levels to rise. This is a matter of ongoing debate, and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that ice dynamics are poorly understood in its assessments.

Source: BBC

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