
What Happened?
Over the course of the summer, there were two giant icebergs that were broken off of Ellesmere Island in Arctic Canada; one in late July, and one in August.
July, 2008
In late July, two giant pieces of ice, one 5.4 square miles and the other 1.9 square miles, broke off of the Ward Hunt Shelf on Ellesmere Island. It has been said that it was the largest break off on an ice shelf since the break from Ayles Ice Shelf, with a size of 25 square miles. Before the major breakaway, scientists already discovered deep cracks in the ice shelf.
The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf
The Ward Hunt Shelf, at a size of about 170 square miles, has been said by scientists that it began about 4,000 years ago. Ice shelves are thick layers of ancient ice and snow that build up over the years. Ellesmere Island used to be surrounded by one large ice shelf, but in the early 1900s, it split into five smaller ice shelves, with the Ward Hunt Shelf being the largest of them.
August, 2008
In early September, a similar incident happened, except larger. The Markham Ice Shelf separated and the 19-square-mile shelf is now floating in the Arctic Ocean. Scientists were surprised by this, being that they were studying the shelf, but the harsh weather paused their research, and when they started again, the shelf was gone. One scientist, David Mueller, said that two blocks separated from the Serson Ice Shelf and smaller blocks detached from the Ward Hunt Shelf as well.
What Made The Breaking Happen?
One scientist, Luke Copland, said that "reduced sea ice conditions and unusually high air temperatures have facilitated the ice shelf losses this summer". He also said that because of other cracks that were found, especially in the Ward Hunt Shelf, the shelves are going to continue to disintegrate. All of the breaks over the summer were caused somewhat by global warming. The high air temperatures were caused by global warming, and the reduced underwater ice conditions were most likely from global warming as well. A long time ago, shelves that would break off would have ice eventually grow back in its place, but because of the global warming issues, there isn't any hope for regrowth, which means that the ice will eventually die off and will melt completely if no action is done to save the planet. If we can solve global warming, then the ice in the Arctic and the Antarctic won't melt, and the world will be a happier place.
Who and What Global Warming Affects
Global warming affects everything, especially the animals and plants that live in the regions that global warming is affected most. In the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the polar bears and the penguins are affected the most. They live and survive on the ice and in the icy water, so with melting ice and warming waters, both the polar bears and the penguins can't survive. Many underwater animals are also affected by the increasing temperatures from global warming. If we don't act fast, the world will never be the same.
by GG