A new report released by scientists today warns that an island of ice over 100 km2 is about to break off from the Arctic’s Petermann glacier. The warning was issued by Jason Box, an associate professor of geography at Ohio State University in Columbus. The report was commissioned after Box and his team discovered a 16km crack across the glacier on a summer expedition last year. The Petermann’s glacier is situated at the mouth of a fjord and is part of the Greenland ice sheet. Glaciers continually move due to the force of gravity and it’s not unusual for large chunks of ice to break off especially from glaciers that exit over the sea, but the team from Ohio University have recently become increasingly concerned over the rate of the glaciers movement.
The current break away chunk is estimated to contain over 5 billion tonnes of ice which is equivalent to half of the glaciers annual flow. The Arctic team recently observed over 10 serious cracks with some measuring over 500 metres wide. This rapid erosion alongside the 1 billion tonne chunk of the glacier that broke away last year has caused increased alarm amongst the scientific community. The team believe that a number of factors are responsible for the glacial melting including warmer ocean currents and warmer air currents that are eroding the glacier from above and below.
Although the scientific team haven’t yet attributed the melting of the glacier to global warming, they have suggested that warmer sea and air currents seem to be responsible for its overall decline. The scientists warned that the glacier will continue to shrink if large chunks repeatedly break off as less ice resistance will encourage the glacier to flow faster. If the Greenland ice sheet continues to melt then we could face a potential rise in sea levels of up to 20ft.
Moonbadger suggests that you once again start buying shares in life rafts and canned goods. Always be prepared, dib dib, dob dob…
[...] to terrify the populace and to ensure that politicians appear as benevolent safeguarding demigods. The threat of nuclear war, climate change and terrorism is continually pumped into our homes and work places by a brutal 24hr media cycle designed to keep [...]
News is often used to create fear and sensationalism but i would hope that any intelligent person can tell the difference between a report on fear mongering and a glacier that contains 5billion tones of fresh water entering the currents that control the earths temperature(the earths heating and cooling system). News like this isnt “manufactured” its “happening” so get used to it. Get active and help make a change(like buying 100percent green energy!) instead of playing the “victim of the media” card again and again and again……