Glacial ice melting at alarming rate: researchers

[Ichingcarpenter]

Updated Sat. Nov. 29 2008

European researchers warn that glacial ice is melting faster than previously thought after satellite images showed a massive chunk of Antarctic ice nearly disintegrate in only a few weeks.

The European Space Agency, which has been closely monitoring the Wilkins Ice Shelf, noticed that a bridge of ice connecting the shelf to the Antarctic continent has been disappearing at an alarming rate.

And that's bad news, scientists say, because the Wilkins Ice Shelf acts like an early warning system for other parts of the globe.

While scientists predicted this would happen in the future, they thought it would take an additional 15 years.

"We're seeing a very strong pattern of changes we knew would happen," said researcher Jay Gulledge of the Pew Center on Climate Change.

He added that the break-off is "happening much sooner than we thought (it) would."
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081129/Antarctic_Collapse_081129/20081129/?hub=TopStories

[XemaSab]

1. .

[Luna Lovegood]

2. Gosh! Thank you for posting this!

Would this be a good place for you or someone to post a list of some things that we as individuals and families can do to lower our impact which is causing this to happen so fast?

[gristy]

3. Welcome to DU, Luna

Sadly, there is really nothing you can do to directly influence these events. Indirectly, you can support your progressive and environmentally conscious politicians.