Critical Antarctic ice shelf breaking apart

Pine Island Glacier is increasingly vulnerable as a large, floating ice shelf that stops it from collapsing into the sea is breaking up more quickly than previously observed, creating vast icebergs


ANTARCTICA

SOUTH AMERICA
Pacific Ocean
2000km 1200 miles
Southern Ocean
ANTARCTICA

Pine Island Glacier: Contains 160 trillion tonnes of ice – equal to 50cm of global sea level rise. Responsible for 25% of Antarctic ice loss


Grounding line – point at which ice starts to float: Present day

Grounding line: 1940

GLACIER FLOW

ICE SHELF

SEA ICE

Amundsen Sea

Rock ridge

WARM WATER CURRENT
Increases retreat of grounding line and breakup of ice shelf, speeding up melting of glacier

2015
Ice shelf

2020
26.3km

EFFECTS OF 50CM SEA LEVEL RISE
Severe high tides, storm surges and chronic flooding in low-lying coastal areas, damaging coastal communities and tourism. Salt water driven further inland, contaminating drinking water and crippling freshwater ecosystems. Entire populations could be displaced


Sources: AP, Science Advances, AntarcticGlaciers.org, HowStuffWorks 
© GRAPHIC NEWS