Ice Shelf Size of L.A. Collapses in Antarctica
An ice shelf the size of New York City or Los Angeles collapsed two weeks ago during an Antarctic heat wave, sending a massive slab of ice into the ocean. Satellite imaging showed that the Conger Ice Shelf on East Antarctica, which had been there for thousands of years, suddenly disappeared between March 14 and 16. The ice shelf has been shrinking slowly since the 1970s. Even though the shrinkage was accelerating lately, the entire disappearance of the ice shelf was totally unexpected. East Antarctica is one of the coldest and driest places on earth. But the collapse of the…