Huge ice island breaks from Greenland glacier

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Telegraph

Huge ice island breaks from Greenland glacier
An ice island four times the size of Manhattan has broken off from one of Greenland's two main glaciers in the biggest such event in the Arctic in nearly 50 years.

Published: 8:44AM BST 07 Aug 2010

The new ice island, which broke off on Thursday, will enter a remote place called the Nares Strait, about 620 miles south of the North Pole between Greenland and Canada.

The ice island has an area of 100 square miles and a thickness of up to half the height of the Empire State Building, said Andreas Muenchow, professor of ocean science and engineering at the University of Delaware.

Mr Muenchow said he had expected an ice chunk to break off from the Petermann Glacier, one of the two largest remaining ones in Greenland, because it had been growing in size for seven or eight years. But he did not expect it to be so large.

"The freshwater stored in this ice island could keep the Delaware or Hudson Rivers flowing for more than two years," said Mr Muenchow

"It could also keep all US public tap water flowing for 120 days."



Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greenland/7931670/Huge-ice-island-breaks-from-Greenland-glacier.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Greenland Glacier Spawns Giant Ice Island

Greenland Glacier Spawns Giant Ice Island
4:54am UK, Saturday August 07, 2010

David Williams, Sky News Online

An ice island four times the size of Manhattan has broken off from one of Greenland's two main glaciers.

Scientists say the calving, discovered by the Canadian Ice Service on Thursday, is the biggest event of its kind in the Arctic in nearly 50 years.

A chunk of ice was predicted to come away from the Petermann Glacier - of the two largest remaining ones in Greenland - but never at this scale.

Nasa images show the island has an area of 100 square miles and a thickness up to half the height of the Empire State Building.

The island, which broke off on Thursday, will enter a remote place called the Nares Strait, about 620 miles south of the North Pole between Greenland and Canada.

More:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Greenland-Glacier-Spawns-Gigantic-Ice-Island-Petermann-Breakaway-Four-Times-The-Size-Of-Manhattan/Article/201008115678544?f=rss

[dipsydoodle]

2. Calving

That's a quaint expression. :)

[Rhiannon12866]

5. K&R. Descriptive, though...

:hi:

[dipsydoodle]

6. I suppose

the only problem with that is that it softens a serious situation. Don't you think ?

:hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

7. Yes, it makes it sound like some kind of lovely miracle...

When it's really a horrifying tragedy... :( :hi:

[Delphinus]

9. Indeed,

it is a tragedy. :(

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Of historic proportions...

I am totally baffled at anyone who still denies that this is happening... :(

[another saigon]

11. I agree

How about a spontaneous abortion? That is tragic.

[Turborama]

3. Biggest ice island for 48 years breaks off Greenland glacier

Scientists say the 100 square mile ice island, 600ft thick, is 'very unusual' and the biggest formation of its kind since 1962

Damien Pearse
The Guardian, Saturday August 7 2010

An ice island with an area of 100 square miles has broken off from one of Greenland's two main glaciers in what scientists say is the biggest such event in the Arctic in nearly 50 years.

The huge chunk of ice, which is 600ft thick, broke off the Petermann Glacier, located about 620 miles south of the North Pole, on Thursday.

It is now drifting in a remote area called the Nares Strait between Greenland and Canada.

Andreas Muenchow, professor of ocean science and engineering at the University of Delaware, said satellite images have revealed that the glacier has lost about a quarter of its 43-mile-long floating ice shelf.

The last time such a large ice island formed was in 1962 when the Canadian Ward Hunt Ice Shelf calved an island. Smaller pieces of that chunk became lodged between real islands inside the Nares Strait.

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/07/biggest-ice-island-greenland

[SpiralHawk]

4. "This proves global climate change is a lib-rul hoax" - Rush DraftDodger Limbaugh (R)

"Like the industrial oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, and the vast plague of heat waves and wildfires burning up Russia's wheat crop, this so-called 'incident' is completely natural, and will have zero impact on the $40 million a year in corporate payola I get to say shit like this. Sneer. Smirk.

"Oh yeah, while I have your attention: what America needs is more more more more more Tax Cuts for Rich Republicons. Smirk."

- Rush DraftDodger Limbaugh (R)

[LawnKorn]

8. Warming Arctic waters are undermining the floating ice shelf of the Petermann Glacier

Calving such extensive areas of ice from the mouth of a glacier relieves the restriction containing the ice further back in the interior. The glacier's flow rate is increasing contributing to the depletion of the Greenland ice mass.

[izquierdista]

10. Numbers I can relate to

Come on, "keep the Delaware or Hudson Rivers flowing for more than two years"? I can't relate to that.

"It could also keep all US public tap water flowing for 120 days." Nope, can't relate to that either.

How many martinis, shaken, not stirred? How far would the ice cube trays set end to end reach? How many carnival snow-cones could be made from it? How many beer coolers at how many tailgate parties would it fill? How long would it take BP to spill that much oil?

Inquiring minds want to know these facts and these science writers continue to disappoint. No wonder print media is going down the tubes.

[hatrack]

12. Gosh, who could possibly have predicted this?

:eyes:

[XemaSab]

14. All I know

it was...

[daleo]

15. Come on, global warming denialists

Step up to the plate now and tell us why this doesn't matter.

[underpants]

16. Massive ice island breaks off Greenland (100 square miles)

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- A piece of ice four times the size of Manhattan island has broken away from an ice shelf in Greenland, according to scientists in the U.S.

The 260 square-kilometer (100 square miles) ice island separated from the Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland early on Thursday, researchers based at the University of Delaware said.


"The freshwater stored in this ice island could keep the Delaware or Hudson rivers flowing for more than two years. It could also keep all U.S. public tap water flowing for 120 days," Muenchow said.

"In Nares Strait, the ice island will encounter real islands that are all much smaller in size," he said.

"The newly born ice island may become land-fast, block the channel, or it may break into smaller pieces as it is propelled south by the prevailing ocean currents. From there, it will likely follow along the coasts of Baffin Island and Labrador, to reach the Atlantic within the next two years."


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/07/greenland.ice.island/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

[Trajan]

17. Cheesy Luigi ....

That's one spicy meatball ...

[LawnKorn]

18. Senator Inhofe assures us that this is not global warming

He is supported by testimony from other knowledgeable people like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reily.

[Downwinder]

19. You can see the armadillos roaming his state and know he is wrong.

They keep moving their range farther north each year.

[LawnKorn]

21. A person can see Republicans farther north each year

[defendandprotect]

20. And we speak of Nero fiddlin' while Rome burned . . . Wow!!