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Giant Ice Shelf Snaps

Posted by Zonk on from the as-long-as-the-movie-doesn't-feature-sandra-bullock dept.

Popo writes "Sattelite images have revealed that an ancient 66 square-kilometer ice shelf, the size of 11,000 football fields, has snapped off from an island in Canada's arctic. The Ayles Ice Shelf was one of 6 major shelves remaining in Canada's arctic and is estimated to be over 3000 years old. The collapse was so powerful that earthquake monitors 250 km away picked up tremors. Scientists say it is the largest event of its kind in 30 years and point their fingers at climate change as a major contributing factor."

4 of 529 comments (clear)

  1. Because we all know by bagboy · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    that in 20-30 years ice this thick must have melted (as a result of global warming)... Puhlease.... It takes more than 20 years for ice this thick to melt to a shelving point... So either global warming has been going on long before previously thought or this shelving was not necessarily "caused" by global warming but rather than an ongoing process of many many years....

  2. I believe Ali G put it best by r_jensen11 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Anyhow, u iz gotta fink bout de problems in de world coz u iz gotta sort dem out innit. Look at da envirolment - global warming is so bad, dey say in 100 years time, all de rainforests will be gone and all de ice caps will have melted. Actually, 100 years time, we ain't gonna be around den, so don't need to worry about dat one.

    Exactly the mentality at least 52% of Americans have.

  3. Re:How much evidence do we need? by rucs_hack · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    "Then do what any sensible scientists does - do a literature survey."

    While I'm writing up my phd? Oh please god no.

    Anyway, this is slashdot, real scientists do not belong here. We should immediately disguise ourselves by saying L0L a lot, and making 'in russia' jokes, or they'll get us..

    But seriously, I never claimed to be up to date, evolutionary algorithms and biological systems are my domain. Although thrust from Ice melt on comets is an additional interest at the moment. Probably that doesn't apply here.

    "I shared your opinion ten years ago. The time of uncertainty about all this has long past, I am sorry (and very sad) to say."

    Well if the US would take the lead and quit with the vast scale of pollution then perhaps there would be reason to be more cheerful. However, on my original point, what proof exists that this was definatelly caused by Global Warming? I'd be willing to acept that it was if there were proof, but I cannot see how it could be proved on just one event of this type.

  4. Re:Overlooked by thesnarky1 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    That's not the point! The point is that global warming caused it and we're all going to die!

    Erm... at least, I assume that's why it was overlooked. Personally I believe in this little scientific thing called "sun cycles" where the sun warms and cools... aka the Ice Age, to now (with multiple other minor Ice Ages in there).... that's been warming even before Bush started driving an SUV...

    Can we cut the Global Warming nonsense and call this what it is, instead of using it for political reasons, please?

    --
    Want to find other gamers to play board and role playing game