Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antarctica Begins to Disintegrate
26.03.2008 - Other
Satellite data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center reveals that the Wilkins Ice Shelf, a broad plate of permanent floating ice on the southwest Antarctic Peninsula, has begun to collapse. Satellite images indicate that the Wilkins began its collapse on February 28, when a large iceberg fell away from the ice shelf's southwestern front.
This event triggered a runaway disintegration of 405 square kilometers of the shelf. As of March 23, a narrow strip of intact ice was still protecting the remaining ice shelf from further collapse. Antarctica summer melt season is now ending and scientists do not expect the Wilkins ice-shelf to disintegrate further in the upcoming months.
Nevertheless, this collapse highlights the fact that the Wilkins region has experienced an intense melting season, warm air and exposure to ocean waves leading to the recent break-up. In the past 50 years, the western Antarctic Peninsula has experienced the biggest temperature increase on Earth, rising by 0.5 degree Celsius per decade.
This break-up has been closely monitored thanks to an international collaboration between the National Snow and Ice Data Center, NASA, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Scientists from Taiwan and South America were also involved in this international effort to monitor the event.
