Glacier Loses Ice Chunk Equal to One-Eighth of Manhattan

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: In The News ,; Tech Talk

Researchers Witness Overnight Breakup, Retreat of Greenland Glacier

(Credit: DigitalGlobe )

A glacier in Greenland lost 2.7 square mile piece of ice - roughly one-eighth the size of Manhattan Island - in a single day last week.

Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier broke up on July 6 and 7, pushing the point where the ice sheet meets the ocean further inland than at any time previously observed, NASA-funded researchers said. As much as 10 percent of all ice lost from Greenland comes through Jakobshavn, which scientists also believe to be the single biggest contributor to sea level rise in the northern hemisphere.

This is part of a recent trend which scientists say started around the beginning of this decade. Between 1850 and 1964, the glacier's ice front had retreated at about 0.3 kilometers a year. It then stayed that way until 2001 when the decrease began to accelerate at about 3 km/yr. (For more on the Jakobshavn Glacier Calving Front, click here.)

Thomas Wagner, cryospheric program scientist at NASA noted that while there have been ice breakouts of this magnitude from Jakonbshavn and other glaciers before, he described this event as "unusual because it occurs on the heels of a warm winter that saw no sea ice form in the surrounding bay." "While the exact relationship between these events is being determined, it lends credence to the theory that warming of the oceans is responsible for the ice loss observed throughout Greenland and Antarctica," he said.

In February, NASA scientists reported that west Greenland's glaciers were melting 100 times faster at their end points beneath the ocean than at their surfaces. The likely explanation behind the undersea melting: warmer ocean waters.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

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by ainventor July 12, 2010 3:01 PM EDT: Scientists have already determined that earth's wobble takes 24000 years to complete one revolution. I find it interesting that when examining ice cores, they've determined that it's 24000 years between major ice ages. With that in mind, it really doesn't matter what we do to try to stop global warming or ocean warming. It's going to happen with or without us. Get used to it.; Reply to this comment


by zippiez July 12, 2010 12:39 PM EDT: What will people say 6000 years from now when the glaciers begin to take back everything they "lost"?; Reply to this comment


by dragontek July 12, 2010 8:10 AM EDT: The Deniers of global warming in time will be silenced-

that quiet will come from increasing extreme climatic events- be it increasing strange weather events, extended deadly heat waves of increasing duration; an ice free arctic, droughts, water supply issues, and others-

A Stanford Univ study last week said in this decade alone will will start to see rapid warming- and the warming we have had the last few years has been through a sunspot minimum.

The arctic is melting- the ice that once reflected the suns rays, is now being absorbed in the sea- CO2 has reached 393ppm-

the last time CO2 was at this level- 3.5 million years ago in the Pliocene Epoch it was 3 degrees warmer (Celsius)there was no Greenland or arctic ice- and sea levels where 25-50 feet higher then today.; Reply to this comment


by Lickedy July 12, 2010 7:04 AM EDT: Yes, and in about 4 more months, we'll be heading to global cooling. It just doesn't stay warm enough.; Reply to this comment

by Noval53 July 12, 2010 5:12 AM EDT

Contrary to the rantings of the climate change chaos church, the world will not end because of global warming. It's not likely to end in 2012 with the end of the Mayan Calendar either. MAD science is loose in the world, and now the MAD scientists have zealots shouting "the end is nye"; just like some religious nuts have in the past. It's interesting to watch this madness unfold as the climate chaos zealots will now attempt to exact payment & penalties from all non-believers; the rise of a new kind of fascism is at hand.

Reply to this comment


by porcine_aviator July 12, 2010 9:18 AM EDT: You're afraid of science, aren't you? "The end is Nye". Scared of Bill Nye...and he's what, 130 pounds of solid nerd?

Oh yeah and I love the whole "climate scientists are fascists" routine. Yeah, those oceanographers, whoa, man, are they TOUGH! I mean, when I think of Waffen SS the picture that comes to mind is some bearded NOAA scientist and his uber-nerd post doc assistant.

Question: have you ever even left your house? Do you even know a single scientist? I mean, it could be therapeutic, confronting your fears and all. Yeah, you see, there's this whole world out there beyond your tv set and your "innernets".

The end is nigh. Wait, I forgot...when you've got nerdophobia, it's mroe correct to say "the end is Nye, and he's got Van De Graff just waitin' for ya...wooo hoooo ha haaa haa haaa!!!".


by Azazel_auriga July 12, 2010 9:51 AM EDT: Sadly my friend, you are right.
Cutting CO2 will mean "depopulation". The world does not realize that the fact that there are so many people on earth is due to our discovery of oil. In less than 200 years, mankind will have used up millions of year of fossilized sunlight. Any energy we will need after that, we will need to produce.
this is sad because in the last century, we produced more consumers instead of creating a better consumer.

When it comes to water and sea levels; Here's another one for you: People wonder why there are so many floods in Europe lately. There is a direct correlation between the drainage of the Aral Sea, and the mass of water that seems to gather in Europe.

by cleantheDCcesspool July 12, 2010 12:35 AM EDT

You go gglenc . You, obamao, Gore; you, and only you, know the truth. Well, to tell you the truth, I do not want obamao to get his cap and trade passed. obamao even said it would "skyrocket" utility bills. Sorry, can't afford it at my house. But you go, rock on with your obamao-ism. When this country tanks, thanks.

Reply to this comment


by porcine_aviator July 12, 2010 9:25 AM EDT: The country already tanked. Now, how'd you like to put in place the mechanism to get private industry to invest what's necessary to get us off fossil fuels. No? Okay, then don't complain when Al Qaeda attacks us again, financed by your petrodollars. Don't complain when the price of oil skyrockets in five years, seeng how the Chinese are getting increasingly thirsty for the black gin. Don't complain when Putin has us over a barrel of Siberian crude raping us.

You and your ilk are just too smart for the rest of us. Clearly, you have certian knowledge that fossil fuel formations are inifnite in size, and that atmospheric gases like CO2 only cause global warming on every other known planetary object EXCEPT the earth. Yes, you have this amazing knowledge because you've been inspecting your own colon polyps for years now. Well, enjoy the benighted darkness Mr. Seymore Sigmoid. Ignorance is bliss, so you must be having a blast.