Ice bridge ruptures in Antarctic

bbc ^ | Sunday, 5 April 2009

[JoeProBono]

An ice bridge linking a shelf of ice the size of Jamaica to two islands in Antarctica has snapped. Scientists say the collapse could mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf is on the brink of breaking away, and provides further evidence or rapid change in the region. Sited on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Wilkins shelf has been retreating since the 1990s. Researchers regarded the ice bridge as an important barrier, holding the remnant shelf structure in place.

[JoeProBono]

FILE PHOTO

[JoeProBono]

Ice Bridge Repair Crew

[gracesdad]

You might try making a little sense.

[omega4179]

Aside from the fact its summer in Antarctica.

[Squantos]

Damn Jamaica is out of ice !!!

[MAD-AS-HELL]

Time to break out the grazy glue

[JoeProBono]

[Snickering Hound]

[JoeProBono]

[classified]

I believe at one time Greenland’s landscape was Green and Iceland’s landscape was Ice and then Greenland became Ice and Iceland became green. So what to do? It is obviously a natural change which we can not or should not try to tamper with.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I'm glad they didn't let the fact that this ice shelf sits on top of an active volcano get in the way of a good, enviroloonie, "global warming" story.

[SuzyQue]

I don’t think that’s Joe’s thing.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

That map isn’t accurate. The inset globe shows a box around CUBA. The little box is intended to signify the area of the larger map.

All perfectly natural. It’s been plenty warmer than they scare us about, even relatively recently, and it wasn’t the end of the world. They are liars & they are thieves.

[JoeProBono]

Yes indeedy

[dfwgator]

[Steelfish]

Wow! great pics. While there is increasing proof of global warming, the causes may be natural and climactic such as underseas thermal currents.

[JoeProBono]

[Liberty Valance]

uh-huh, just as i suspected. Blood on an icy typewriter ...

[JoeProBono]

Jeez!

[classified]

I know that guy!

[classified]

I know that guy too!

[JoeProBono]

Holy Moly!

[LukeL]

It was this penguins fault

[philly-d-kidder]

Maybe one of the USAF laser Planes was messing with the Scientist and just had Target Practice!!

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[FlingWingFlyer]

Great catch! I looked at that and it went right by me.

[libbylu]

No, it is fall. It is minus 84 degrees in Vostok Antarctica, 2 1/2 months until summer.

[AZLiberty]

Where’s the entrepreneur that will tow this up to California and solve their water shortage?

[weldAllday]

<imgsrc=http://www.lazydork.com/movies/coolrunnings.jpg

[weldAllday]

<img src=http://www.lazydork.com/movies/coolrunnings.jpg

[weldAllday]

last try

<imgsrc=http://www.angelfire.com/sk3/cstate/Ducks/Coolrunnings/coolrunnings.jpg

[Daffynition]

[dr_lew]

Here's the ( remnant ) Wilkins Ice Shelf as of yesterday, with Jamaica pasted on for comparison. ( The comparison is not exact because of distortion in these images, but in this case it's pretty close. ) BTW, it's virtually always cloudy there, so this is a pretty good view, as it goes. You can see the two large embayments to the left which over the course of the last several season have pretty much eaten away the ice shelf. The bridge they've been talking about is to the round island at the top. Last year it was very narrow and they thought it would break then. This is not a seasonal change. The Wilkins Ice Shelf had been a permanent structure.

[JoeProBono]

[flowerplough]

Ice Bridge Breakup? Think I saw that movie. Had a whiny, metro-gayish boy mammoth and a fat-sassy girl mammoth and that maladroit sloth and the skrat, didn’t it?

[Wavrnr10]

Probably due the hot air that has been escaping the mouth of Al Gore! Didn’t he invent global warming as well as the internet?

[x_plus_one]

Maybe, with enough global warming, New York and D.C. and Boston and Miama and Seattle and LA and San Fran will get washed away...

No amount of carbon tax will change the sun or the volcanic activity on the ocean floor. We can always hope for the best.

[traderrob6]

For a bit of context....90% of Antarctica has actually been cooling. This particular area which has a more active than usual subterranean oceanic volcano has warmed some. But let's not let the facts get in the way of a good conniption.

[mamelukesabre]

Look on a globe. Jamaica is directly south of cuba. The map is accurate.

[omega4179]

, it is fall. It is minus 84 degrees in Vostok Antarctica, 2 1/2 months until summer.

Huh??

[chuck_the_tv_out]

The box should be around Jamaica (IE much smaller)

[mamelukesabre]

jamaica is centered in the box.

[pepperdog]

“Wilkins shelf has been retreating since the 1990s”

Okay, I'm no mathematician but isn't that around 15 to 20 years that the shelf has been retreating? I assume that means the ice is vanishing, and I further assume that means the ice is melting. So where are the rising oceans we were promised? When does NY and LA sink beneath the waves, when do we in fly over country get our beach front land? Or have I been scammed?

[libbylu]

It isn’t spring in Antarctica. It is fall. Summer starts in June in the southern hemisphere. And it is minus 85 at a tracking station in Antarctica.

[TheOldLady]

It isn’t spring in Antarctica. It is fall. Summer Winter starts in June in the southern hemisphere. And it is minus 85 at a tracking station in Antarctica.

[gracie1]

Tow it up here to California! The farmers need all the water they can get and the tree huggers in Sac won’t give them any!

[libbylu]

Thanks!

[chuck_the_tv_out]

of course it is. that’s not the point.

[ga medic]

The ice shelf is not on land, it is on water. When it breaks off, it doesn’t affect sea levels because it was already in the water.