Giant Ice Shelf Breaks Lose

[Christina]

TORONTO, Ontario (AP) -- A giant ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields has snapped free from Canada's Arctic, scientists said.The mass of ice broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 800 kilometers (497 miles) south of the North Pole, but no one was present to see it in Canada's remote north. Scientists using satellite images later noticed that it became a newly formed ice island in just an hour and left a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake. (Watch the satellite images that clued in ice watchers)Warwick Vincent of Laval University, who studies Arctic conditions, traveled to the newly formed ice island and could not believe what he saw."This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years. We are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead," Vincent said Thursday.In 10 years of working in the region he has never seen such a dramatic loss of sea ice, he said.The collapse was so powerful that earthquake monitors 250 kilometers (155 miles) away picked up tremors from it.The Ayles Ice Shelf, roughly 66 square kilometers (41 square miles) in area, was one of six major ice shelves remaining in Canada's Arctic.Scientists say it is the largest event of its kind in Canada in 30 years and point their fingers at climate change as a major contributing factor."It is consistent with climate change," Vincent said, adding that the remaining ice shelves are 90 percent smaller than when they were first discovered in 1906."We aren't able to connect all of the dots ... but unusually warm temperatures definitely played a major role."

 

[SilentFlight]

It's been all over the press and it is causingmore panic the say in some case it needs to be sorted within the next five years but without globl support all other efforts are futile. Unfortuently there is not a united front as of yet to address global warming, there will be more suffering if it continues beyond the melting f the polar caps, it is likely economy will suffer immensely bt more importantly third world countries the shift in climate means an increase of natural distasters. They are already taking form tsnamis earthquakes hurricanes, torrnados, The fight is not lost whether it is natural in time or not we have responsibility as God's people to aid the change in the worsening crisis. We may not be encharge but faith can move mountains.

 

[FRED ANDERSON]

We have been experiencing global warming since the flood of Noah's day. Remember in grade school learning about the glaciers that used to be extending all the way down into the USA. mid continent?

 

[Christina]

I think you are both right I think there are long term weather changes that we have little understanding weather or not they happen slow or reach a tipping point where things start happening quickly I also think man has added some to this natural process The thing is as usual politicians need to stop arguing about the reasons why this is happening and start talking about what we are going to do about it

 

[SilentFlight]

yes, it seems if they argue the causes they pass the buck they do not have to contribute to sorting it out.

 

[FRED ANDERSON]

We already have the end of it all told to us in the Bible. We know that after Jesus sets up his physical kingdom, we still have 1000 years until the end of this current planet situation. Apologies to the preterists who run this board, if they are offended.