A more than 100-mile-long crack in one of Antarctica’s largest ice shelves grew another 6 miles in little over two weeks this month, British scientists reported Thursday. That’s on top of an 11-mile growth that occurred in the second two weeks of December — representing a 17 mile total advance in not much more than a month.
The extension of the rift in the Larsen C ice shelf ran roughly parallel to the ocean terminating front of the floating ice shelf, and so did not bring it any closer to breaking off a large piece — 12 miles of ice still connect the emerging ice island to the larger shelf. But the parallel growth may ensure that the iceberg, when it does break off, will be somewhat larger.
The researchers reiterated a statement they released earlier this month, signaling their suspicion that this will lead to the breakoff of a nearly Delaware-sized piece of ice and “leave the ice front at its most retreated position ever recorded; this event will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula.” They fear that the break could speed up the flow of the ice seaward and potentially destabilize the shelf, which holds back enough ice above sea level to raise oceans by 4 inches. But not every scientist agrees that will be the outcome.
Either way, the advancing rift continues to suggest that a large break could be coming. “Every advance would seem to bring the end closer,” said Adrian Luckman, a researcher with Swansea University who heads up the project.
