Rapid Collapse of Northern Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica
- 9 February 1996
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 271 (5250) , 788-792
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.271.5250.788
Abstract
In January 1995, 4200 square kilometers of the northern Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, broke away. Radar images from the ERS-1 satellite, complemented by field observations, showed that the two northernmost sections of the ice shelf fractured and disintegrated almost completely within a few days. This breakup followed a period of steady retreat that coincided with a regional trend of atmospheric warming. The observations imply that after an ice shelf retreats beyond a critical limit, it may collapse rapidly as a result of perturbated mass balance.Keywords
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