Alarming Climate Change: Abnormal Temperatures Led To Collapse Of Ice Shelf As Big As Rome

In the decades after 2000, climate change has taken a rapid and scary turn. Recently, scientists confirmed that an ice shelf as big as the size of Rome collapsed in Antarctica in March. The Conger ice-shelf had approximate 1200 square kilometres, and it collapsed after the region recorded high temperatures over the last few days. Environmentalists and researchers expressed concerns after the American satellite agency released the collapse footage, which is speculated to have occurred around March 15.

Temperature Rose To Minus 11.8 Degrees

"It won't have huge effects, most likely, but it's a sign of what might be coming," Dr Catherine Colello Walker, earth and planetary scientist at NASA, NDTV, reported. The temperatures in eastern Antarctica rose to minus 11.8 degrees, which is 40 degrees warmer than the region's average temperature. Weather experts said that the collapse happened because of the heat trapped over the continent by the 'atmospheric rivers'. The atmospheric river phenomenon consists of air corridors transporting large quantities of steam over long distances.

Increasing Intensity Of Droughts, Heatwaves

The National Snow and Ice Data centre in the US mentioned that ice shelves are permanent floating ice sheets connecting to landmasses. Therefore, since they are already floating and are a part of the ocean, they do not contribute to rising sea levels. However, the recent ice collapse could contribute to rising sea levels. The average temperature of the earth's surface has gone up by one-degree Celsius since the 19th century, which is enough to increase the intensity of droughts, tropical cyclones and heatwaves. However, concerningly, the air over the polar region of Antarctica has risen twice as much.

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