Vast Cracks Appear in Arctic Ice

And so the BBC reports:

Dramatic evidence of the break-up of the Arctic ice-cap has emerged from research during an expedition by the Canadian military.

Scientists travelling with the troops found major new fractures during an assessment of the state of giant ice shelves in Canada's far north.

The team found a network of cracks that stretched for more than 10 miles (16km) on Ward Hunt, the area's largest shelf.

Dr. Derek Mueller of Trent University explains:

"It means the ice shelf is disintegrating, the pieces are pinned together like a jigsaw but could float away..."

Another expedition member, Dr. Luke Copland of the University of Ottawa, notes:

"We're seeing very dramatic changes; from the retreat of the glaciers, to the melting of the sea ice.

"We had 23% less (sea ice) last year than we've ever had, and what's happening to the ice shelves is part of that picture."

The cracks in this particular ice shelf have to be looked at in light of that larger picture -- yet another step in the overall meltdown of our polar regions. Even as this piece of the Arctic icecap has begun to break apart with little notice, so could something more significant, like Greenland's vast reserve of frozen freshwater. Which gives us all the more reason to solve our climate crisis, before our coastal lands and cities end up under that unexpected deluge.


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