Major Ice Collapse in Western Antarctica

Major Ice Chunk Collapses
in Western Antarctica. By Seth Borenstein, AP. March
25, 2008. "A chunk
of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater
portion of glacial ice at risk, scientists said Tuesday. Satellite images show
the runaway disintegration of a 160-square-mile chunk in western Antarctica,
which started Feb. 28. It was the edge of the Wilkins ice shelf and has been
there for hundreds, maybe 1,500 years... Because scientists noticed satellite
images within hours, they diverted satellite cameras and even flew an airplane
over the ongoing collapse for rare pictures and video... 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. Larger, more dramatic ice
collapses occurred in 2002 and 1995... The part that recently gave way makes up
about 4 percent of the overall shelf, but it's an important part that can
trigger further collapse."