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Rapid Collapse of Northern Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Helmut Rott, Pedro Skvarca, and Thomas Nagler
Science • 9 Feb 1996 • Vol 271, Issue 5250 • pp. 788-792 • DOI: 10.1126/science.271.5250.788
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Abstract

In January 1995, 4200 square kilometers of the northern Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, broke away. Radar images from the ERS-1 satellite, complemented by field observations, showed that the two northernmost sections of the ice shelf fractured and disintegrated almost completely within a few days. This breakup followed a period of steady retreat that coincided with a regional trend of atmospheric warming. The observations imply that after an ice shelf retreats beyond a critical limit, it may collapse rapidly as a result of perturbated mass balance.

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Published In

Science
Volume 271 | Issue 5250
9 February 1996

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© 1996 American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Published in print: 9 February 1996

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Helmut Rott
H. Rott and T. Nagler, Institut für Meteorologie und Geophysik der Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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Pedro Skvarca
P. Skvarca, Instituto Antártico Argentino, Cerrito 1248, 1010 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Thomas Nagler
H. Rott and T. Nagler, Institut für Meteorologie und Geophysik der Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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