Scientists worry that Pine Island and the neighboring Thwaites 'Doomsday' Glacier could be headed toward collapse. The Pine Island Glacier, the fastest-retreating glacier in Antarctica, lost another massive chunk of ice. By Scientists watch this glacier closely because evidence has been pointing to even faster loss of ice in the future, NASA says. Pine Island Glacier (PIG) is a large ice stream located on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in Antarctica. In January 2010, a modelling study suggested that the "tipping point" for Pine Island Glacier may have been passed in 1996, with a retreat of 200 km possible by 2100, producing a corresponding 24 cm (0.79 ft) of sea level rise, although it was suggested that these estimates for timespan were conservative. Pine Island's newest icebergs calved just days after scientists reported the hottest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica. “When Pine Island Glacier lost contact with the thicker ice of the southwest tributary it was like the loss of protection on the glacier’s flank,” said NASA/UMBC glaciologist Christopher Shuman. Pine Island Glacier is also buttressed by a large, floating ice shelf, which is itself thinning and which calved a huge iceberg in late 2018.That iceberg was labeled B46 by scientists. Iceberg B-49 calved from the Antarctic glacier in February 2020. But the calving rate at Pine Island has increased more than the glacier has been able to move inland ice forward into Pine Island Bay. The Pine Island Glacier (a.k.a. Visit our corporate site. “The growing indentation into the shear margin was likely a factor in the formation of all the rifts that then caused PIG’s ice to fall apart in the last calving. The Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, which sit side by side in West Antarctica on the Amundsen Sea, are among the fastest changing glaciers in … Thwaites Glacier is one of the largest and most unstable ice streams in Antarctica. If the icebergs break off at a rate that matches the glacier’s forward flow, the ice front stays in place. Image of the Day Thwaites Glacier is roughly the size of UK (176 x10 3 km 2). Emerging cracks forming on the ice shelf of Pine Island Glacier on Sept. 14, 2019. On Thursday (Feb. 6), temperatures near a research base on the continent's northern edge reached 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius), the World Meteorological Organization reported. "The Pine Island glacier recently spawned an … The current crack could calve an even larger iceberg. An iceberg has broken off Pine Island Glacier (PIG) on the edge of Antarctica, according to satellite images taken Tuesday by the European Space Agency (ESA). You will receive a verification email shortly. As anticipated, Pine Island Glacier, known as PIG for short, in Antarctica has spawned a huge iceberg. Snow and Ice An iceberg twice the size of Washington, D.C., has broken off the Pine Island glacier in Antarctica, scientists reported this week. And well, actually, that’s it in the fun department. This area is likely to continue to breakdown as Pine Island Glacier pushes past the thinner South Ice Shelf, further exposing that flank.”. UK and US scientists are collaborating to investigate one of the most unstable glaciers in Antarctica, the Thwaites Glacier, roughly the same size as Florida or Britain. An iceberg about twice the size of the District of Columbia broke off Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica sometime between Saturday and Sunday, satellite data shows, confirming yet … According to measurements reported by the National U.S. Ice Center, on January 10, B-31 was maintaining its size, and was located at 74°24'S and 104°33'W. As anticipated, Pine Island Glacier, known as PIG for short, in Antarctica has just spawned a huge iceberg. Image of the Day By Sunday, a 120 square-mile chunk of ice—a little under three San Franciscos in size—had broken off the glacier’s front. Researchers calculated that the Pine Island Glacier has lost an area the size of Los Angeles in the last six years. "The Pine Island glacier recently spawned an iceberg over (115 square miles) that very quickly shattered into pieces," the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement. Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica is known for dispensing icebergs into the Amundsen Sea, but scientists say the frequency of such events appears to be … , 2019 shows the long-term retreat of Pine Island led scientists to spot `` growing cracks '' in images. Its twin Glacier named Thwaites upper right coast of the largest and most unstable ice in... 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