The ancient Larsen C ice shelf, half the size of Lebanon, is on the verge of collapsing, with just 13km of ice attaching it now to Antarctica. In a new study, scientists from the University of Washington and NASA have found that melting in Antarctica has been accelerating since the early 2000s. When it separates, this newly formed iceberg will head into the Weddell Sea and then into the Southern Ocean, whereupon it will slowly melt. As we previously noted, these ice shelves hold back glaciers, and when the Larsen C goes, these glaciers will dump huge amounts of water into the sea, thereby raising sea levels.
The ancient Larsen C ice shelf, half the size of Lebanon, is on the verge of collapsing, with just 13km of ice attaching it now to Antarctica. Scientists have never witnessed a chunk of Antarctic ice this big break off so quickly. When it separates, this newly formed iceberg will head into the Weddell Sea and then into the Southern Ocean, whereupon it will slowly melt. As we previously noted, these ice shelves hold back glaciers, and when the Larsen C goes, these glaciers will dump huge amounts of water into the sea, thereby raising sea levels.