THE BIRTH OF A NEW ICEBERG.
Putting the halloween and fireworks news to one side, a recent flight by NASA's operation 'IceBridge' has discovered a major rift in the Pine Island Glacier located in western Antartica. Extending over eighteen miles and over 50 metres deep in places, this crack could result in the formation of an iceberg over 800 square kilometres in area. Though some scientists had speculated that the Pine Island Glacier was due to calve again, until the flight in October there had been no indication that the glacier was beginning to break apart. Now that the rift has been identified, this could provide a chance for scientists to observe the break up of the glacier and may help to improve understandings of the mechanisms and feedbacks that drive it.
For more information on the IceBridge mission in Antartica and other work in glacial regions click here.
Treading on Thin Ice: Climate change and what this could mean for nature's ice giants.
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