Ice shelves are extensions of the ice sheets that contain Antarctica's inland ice. Without them, ice enters the ocean faster and sea levels rise.
The 1,200 sq. km Conger Ice Shelf, which is the area of Kyiv and Kharkov combined, collapsed in East Antarctica in a few days, when record high temperatures were recorded, reports the Chronicle.info with reference to Focus.
In East Antarctica, scientists recorded an unusually high temperature for the continent, which is -11.8 degrees Celsius. That's 40 degrees above normal for this season.
Ice shelves are extensions of ice sheets that float above the ocean and play an important role in containing inland ice. Without them, inland ice enters the ocean faster, causing sea levels to rise.
«Conger Ice Shelf is relatively small compared to others. But this is the most significant ice shelf destruction since the early 2000s. This event may not have serious consequences, but it is a sign of what could happen to glaciers», says Katherine Walker from NASA.
Complete collapse of East Antarctica's Conger Ice Shelf (~1200 sq. km) ~March 15, seen in combo of #Landsat and #MODIS imagery. Possible it hit its tipping point following the #Antarctic #AtmosphericRiver and heatwave too? #CongerIceShelf #Antarctica @helenafricker @icy_pete https://t.co/7dP5d6isvd pic.twitter.com/1wzmuOwdQn
— Catherine Colello Walker (@CapComCatWalk) March 24, 2022
According to scientists, back in January of this year, the area of the Conger Ice Shelf was 1,200 square kilometers, and by the beginning of March, its area had shrunk by more than half. And now it has disintegrated completely in just a few days.
«It was an unexpected event. We have not seen such a rapid rate of ice loss in East Antarctica. This was due to extreme warming,” says Peter Neff, a glaciologist at the University of Minnesota.
According to Helen Fricker from the Scripps Polar Center, in March in East Antarctica, huge blocks of ice broke away not only from Conger Glacier, but also from two other ice shelves.
«Most of East Antarctica is held back by ice shelves, so we need to keep a close eye on all of them», Fricker says.
The final ~4.5 years of the now-collapsed Conger Ice Shelf, East Antarctica as seen by #Sentinel1. 🇦🇶@sentinel_hub @CopernicusEU @helenafricker @CapComCatWalk pic.twitter.com/q1OUCPgxQl
— Peter Neff (@icy_pete) March 25, 2022
Scientists say the temperature rise in Antarctica started on March 15th. And given the fact that the glacier that is behind the Conger Ice Shelf is small, when it goes into the ocean, it will not affect the sea level much.