The climate change has kept scientists alert since the effects of human activities on the health of our planet were discovered.Antarctica is one of the areas of the earth that is most has been affected, but a strange event has caused even greater alarm among experts.Find out what it is.
The strange event in Antarctica that has alarmed scientists
A A group of British researchers has been studying a crack in the Larsen C ice barrier, located along the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, in the northwestern part of the Weddell Sea, made worrying findings since since December 2016, it has grown 27km.
The crack reaches more than 160km in length and, in some areas more than 3km in width, so they estimate that the eventual rupture of the barrier will create the biggest iceberg ever registered. ng>
The MIDAS project is the program that has been monitoring the gap for several years, it foresees that the ice will separate "within the next few months" .This eventuality depends of several factors and many variables are unknown.
According to experts, the rupture could occur in a matter of days or years, but it is likely that the iceberg will be released within the next few months simply because the leverage of the 175 km of iceberg in 20 km of what remains connected to the ice shelf is overwhelming.
Ice barriers like this are responsible for curbing the glaciers.If they break, ice will flow faster from land to ocean and "will contribute more rapidly to sea level rise", especially with one of the dimensions nes by Larsen C.
On the other hand, researchers at the Midas Project have concluded that this particular crack was not the result of global warming. They noted that Although the progression towards the south of the decomposition of the ice shelf in the Antarctic Peninsula has been related to a warming of the climate, this crack seems to have been in development for many decades, and the result is probably natural.
Scientists warn that melting ice sheets can trigger 19 "tipping points", and cause a worsening of the climate change that will be felt worldwide.
Eric J.Rignot, a glaciologist and professor at the University of Irving in California (United States), told the New York Times that these two anchors on the side of Larsen C play a critical role in holding the ice shelf where This .If the barrier is over flirting, it will be more fragile and you will lose contact with the ice.
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Images: Wikimedia Commons
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