Posted on 08/22/2016 6:20:34 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A large rift is widening across an increasingly fragile Antarctic ice shelf, scientists found. The crack is spreading across the Larsen C Ice Shelf at an increased rate, threatening to carve out an iceberg the size of Delaware while destabilizing a larger area of ice roughly the size of Scotland.
When this iceberg calving event happens — no one knows exactly when it will occur, except that it's getting closer — it will be the largest calving event in Antarctica since 2000, the third-biggest ever recorded and the largest from this particular ice shelf, scientists say.
About 10 to 12 percent of the Larsen C Ice Shelf is expected to break off during such an event, leaving the larger ice shelf even more vulnerable to melting from increasing air and ocean temperatures.
The iceberg and ice shelf melting would not, however, increase sea levels, since the ice is already resting in the ocean, like an ice cube in a glass.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Don’t go gettin’ into scientific stuff like mass and gravity
or everyone’s eyes will glaze over and you’ll lose the crowd.
Don’t tell the author that where ever that giant iceberg goes, it will cool the water.
Crack kills!
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