Wilkins ice shelf disintegrating
April 30th, 2009Following the collapse on April 4 of a narrow ice bridge that had connected the Wilkins ice shelf with a small island off the Antarctic Peninsula, the northern ice front of the ice sheet is beginning to disintegrate.
On 24 April, the satellite data showed that the first icebergs had started to break away from the fragile ice shelf. A very rough estimate suggests that, so far, about 700 sq km of ice has been lost from the Wilkins Ice Shelf. Scientists expect up to 3370 sq km of the ice shelf will be lost.
David Vaughan from the British Antarctic Survey explains what’s happening:
The retreat of Wilkins Ice Shelf is the latest and the largest of its kind. Eight separate ice shelves along the Antarctic Peninsula have shown signs of retreat over the last few decades. There is little doubt that these changes are the result of atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula, which has been the most rapid in the Southern Hemisphere.
How the situation will evolve remains to be seen. A new stable ice front may form between Latady Island, Petrie Ice Rises and Dorsey Island. But If the connection to Latady Island is lost, the loss of ice could be much more than anticipated.