1st March By James Smith
Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier isn't just melting – it's cracking with unprecedented speed, a new study reveals. This instability has major implications for sea level rise.
In 2012, a 6.5-mile rift tore through the glacier in under 6 minutes. In last decades this is fastest and large scale ice breakage ever done.
Scientists calculated the rift grew at 115 feet per second – that's nearly 80 miles per hour! Imagine a crack the size of several football fields opening in seconds.
Ice shelves are vital. They slow down the glaciers behind them. Rift events can lead to 'calving', where huge icebergs break off and raise sea levels.
Surprisingly, seawater doesn't just fill a rift, it actually slows it down! The water's properties like viscosity create resistance, influencing how fast the ice can break apart.
Our thinkings might changes this glacier conditions," told by researcher Stephanie Olinger. We have to prepare ourselves that sudden ice loss.
We have to understand the coniditon of our earth climate than we can predict to save our climate now. This research is key!