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 Conger shelf came during a period of unseasonably high temperatures. Indeed, the temperatures at the time were 40 degrees warmer than normal; a research facility on the east side of the continent reported temperatures of 10 degrees Fahrenheit on March 18.
The Conger collapse was just the second, although the largest, of three calving events in March, when ice fell into the ocean and formed icebergs. The first occurred on March 7, and created several icebergs. One, named C-37, is 8 nm long and 3 nm wide.
The Conger Ice Shelf was about 460 square miles. Scientists say the collapse was probably caused by an “atmospheric river,” or a jet of warm air that trapped heat over the region. Much of that heat was absorbed by water under the ice shelf.
Scientists warn that the collapse of the Conger Ice Shelf could be the start of a new trend. Ice shelves serve as a natural buffer, protecting Antarctic glaciers from melting. But if the ice shelves disappear and the glaciers melt, all the new water could drive a rise in sea level for decades. Read more:
https://www.livescience.com/antarctica-conger-ice-shelf-collapse
