Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse
Scientists 'Staggered' by Rapid Ice Breakup

See an animation of the Larsen B ice shelf breakup.

Above, a satellite image of the intact Larsen B ice shelf, taken on Jan. 31, 2002.

By March 5, a large portion of shelf has disintegrated into thousands of icebergs. Watch an animation of the Larsen B breakup. Images courtesy of Ted Scambos, NSIDC, University of Colorado

March 19, 2002 -- Satellite monitoring of the Antarctic Peninsula shows the rapid and massive collapse of an ice shelf -- the latest development in the continent's confounding climatic picture.

In about 35 days, a portion of the ice shelf larger than Rhode Island disintegrated, leaving behind thousands of smaller bergs.

British Antarctic Survey scientists had earlier predicted that the 650-mile thick plate of ice would collapse, just not so quickly. "The speed of it is staggering. Hard to believe that 500 billion tonnes of ice sheet has disintegrated in less than a month," says BAS glaciologist David Vaughan.

Larsen B is one of five ice shelves -- large floating extensions of ice sheets covering the continent -- that's been on retreat. While Antarctica's interior seems to be cooling and its glaciers thickening, studies show the Antarctic Peninsula has been warming over the past 50 years. For All Things Considered, Richard Harris reports.


In Depth

Read Richard Harris' report on studies that suggest parts of Antarctica are bucking a global warming trend.

Last year, Richard Harris made a trip to Antarctica to see first-hand what researchers were finding out about the continent. Check out his reports.

 Browse for other NPR stories about Antarctica.

Other Resources

• Read more about the science behind the collapse at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

• Brush up on Antarctica facts at Rice University's Glacier Web site.

• Learn more about Antarctica at the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Web site.

• Read about the Atlas of Antarctic Research at the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.

• The United States Antarctic Resource Center has a comprehensive collection of Antarctic maps, charts, satellite images and photographs.

• Read about British research on the continent at the British Antarctic Survey Web site.

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