Warming’s Warning - Antarctic Ice Chunk Collapses

The ever increasing threat of global warming does not seem to be a distant reality any more. The grim future is staring right into our faces in the form of a large scale meltdown as a chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk.

Satellite images show the runaway disintegration of a 160-square-mile chunk in western Antarctica, which started on Feb. 28th. It was the edge of the Wilkins ice shelf and has been there for hundreds, maybe 1,500 years.

The rest of the Wilkins ice shelf, which is about the size of Connecticut, is holding on by a narrow beam of thin ice. Scientists worry that it too may collapse. The part that recently gave way makes up for about 4 percent of the overall shelf, but it's an important part that can trigger further collapse.

Scientists are banking on the fact that winters are setting in on the Antarctic region and this may prove to be the only factor, vital in keeping the Wilkens ice shelf from further damage and breakdown. But then, for how long? Come summers next year and the shelf is bound to see further damage.

Attributing the collapse to global warming the scientists although are not presently bothered about the incident from the point of rise in sea level, they still consider it to be a trigger point in bringing about a whirl of changes in the climatic system of the earth.

Since the collapse is an irreversible loss, scientists are more worried on the account of rising levels of temperature in the western peninsula, which includes the Wilkins ice shelf. Much of the continent is not warming and some parts are even cooling. However, this part of the continent is where scientists are most concerned about ice-melt triggering sea level rise.

The ice shelves in the Antarctic had begun cracking and collapsing about fifteen years back. One such major collapse was seen in 1995 and 2002. Warnings on global warming have been flashing since then on and steps to reduce the growing peril although were being taken, it seems now, were not sufficient.