Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse Tied to Global Warming

LONDON, England, October 16, 2006 (ENS) - Scientists on Monday reported the first direct evidence linking the 2002 collapse of an Antarctic ice shelf to global warming. The researchers found that stronger westerly winds in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, fueled primarily by human-induced climate change, were responsible for the dramatic summer warming that led to the retreat and collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf.

"This is the first time that anyone has been able to demonstrate a physical process directly linking the break-up of the Larsen Ice Shelf to human activity," said lead author Gareth Marshall from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).


The chunk that collapsed into the Weddell Sea in 2002 was 1,255 square miles, bigger than Luxembourg or the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Scientists believe the 220-meter thick shelf had been in place for some 5,000-12,000 years.


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