Pine Island, which contains around 30 trillion litres of water, is slipping into the sea at an ever accelerating rate, a development that alone could raise sea levels by as much as 10cm over the next century. Starting at an altitude of 2,500m, the glacier is 95 miles long and 18 miles wide, reaching the sea as an ice wall 750m high. Even before it began to speed up, it was one of the fastest-flowing glaciers in the world, at nine yards a day.Scientists believe that the thinning of the glacier, and its acceleration, are due to unusual melting under the base as it enters the ocean. This is caused by either global warming or a hitherto unknown factor, such as an underwater volcano.
Finding proof of either, however, has been problematic. The mountain glaciers in the west of the Antarctic have the worst blizzards and some of the harshest temperatures on the planet. The zone is too hostile for any research station, so scientists have to base information on satellite studies and aerial surveys.
Now, though, a team of British scientists plans to attack the continent's "weak underbelly" — the watery realms below the massive glaciers. Using a robot submarine nicknamed "Autosub", researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) hope to explore this previously inaccessible part of the glacier, to discover what is happening.
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- pjacobs51
- added this
- added January 07, 2009
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It is cause for concern and that we need to pay much . "But dont think its super necessary for major concern
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- Jeffnfun631
- 6 months ago
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What do you mean no major concern, you must live on a coastal city or island. In the next century many Pacific Nations will be wiped off the face of the planet because of this glacier and the negligence of man and governments. People of the Pacific plea to the UN and other countries to curb Emissions, Greenhouse Gases, and other elements causing Global Warming, but all countries are in consensus that no drastic measures need to be taken. What about civilizations that have been in the Pacific for centuries? Who cares about us, Just to let all you tourist who come to Waikki, thanks to people like Jeffnfun631 and other people who think this is no big problem. There will be no Waikiki in the next 30 years, because there will be no sand to hold the hotels up. I can’t wait for that to happen, all of the Hawaiian Islands will lose its’ natural beautiful beaches because of Global Warming and the rapid changes in Antartica.
