"Record-breaking Glacier Fracture Speed Reveals Ice Sheet Collapse Physics"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Livescience.com
Scientists have observed the fastest glacier fracture ever recorded, with a crack in Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier opening at roughly 80 mph. The finding suggests that giant ice masses can shatter like glass, providing insight into how climate change will impact ice sheets. The study, published in AGU Advances, combined satellite observations with seismic data to understand the rift's behavior. The Pine Island Glacier and its neighbor, the Thwaites Glacier, have been in retreat and melting rapidly, contributing to rising sea levels. If the Thwaites Glacier were to melt completely, it would raise sea levels by more than 2 feet, and the broader destabilization of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could lead to a global sea level rise of approximately 11 feet.
