New rifts form on Antarctic ice shelf

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNN

updated 56 minutes ago
New rifts form on Antarctic ice shelf

(CNN) -- Scientists have identified new rifts on an Antarctic ice shelf that could lead to it breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula, the European Space Agency said.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf, a large sheet of floating ice south of South America, is connected to two Antarctic islands by a strip of ice. That ice "bridge" has lost around 2,000 square kilometers (about 772 square miles) so far this year, the ESA said.

A satellite image captured November 26 shows new rifts on the ice shelf that make it dangerously close to breaking away from the strip of ice -- and the islands to which it's connected, the ESA said.

Scientists first spotted rifts in the ice shelf in late February, and they noticed further deterioration the following week. The period marks the end of the South Pole summer and is the time when such events are most likely, said Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Before the new rifts were spotted this week, the last cracks were noticed July 21.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/29/antarctic.ice.shelf.collapse/index.html?iref=hpmostpop

[SpiralHawk]

1. "There's no mention of this in the Bible, so it's a lib-rul ruse." - Fundamentalist republicons

"Do not bother us again with this fact-based lib-rul shit. Commander AWOL Bush, Rush Limbaugh, and James Dobson have assured us that there is nothing to worry about (other than lib-rul facts) and that we can merrily roll along in our SUVs while we wait for Jeebus."

- Fundamentalist Republicons

[SpiralHawk]

2. Meanwhile, far to the north -- in the Arctic

1st commercial ship sails through Northwest Passage

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3622367

The Canadian Coast Guard has confirmed that in a major first, a commercial ship travelled through the Northwest Passage this fall to deliver supplies to communities in western Nunavut.

The MV Camilla Desgagnés, owned by Desgagnés Transarctik Inc., transported cargo from Montreal to the hamlets of Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak in September.

"We did have a commercial cargo vessel that did the first scheduled run from Montreal, up through the eastern Arctic, through the Northwest Passage to deliver cargo to communities in the west," Brian LeBlanc of the Canadian Coast Guard told CBC News.
Rayes, who was on the vessel during its trip through the Northwest Passage, said the company informed the coast guard, which put an icebreaker on standby.

"They were ready to be there for us if we called them, but I didn't see one cube of ice," he said.


"That was the first — that I'm aware of anyway — commercial cargo delivery from the east through the Northwest Passage."

[Acadia Blue]

3. When the fundamentalists decided on faith based science, they

decided to go back to the 12th centruy.
Thank goodness we have a man with an IQ in the white house who does not think being intelligent is a character flaw.

[ensho]

4. thanks for this info - it is very important

various militarys are making plans based on 'what ifs'

[Doremus]

5. Hmmm,... wondering what those "what ifs" might be .....?