Warming Takes Chunk Out Of Antarctica

An iceberg the size of Rhode Island has broken free from the Antarctic Peninsula and an ice shelf has collapsed, both the dramatic results of regional warming, scientists said Wednesday.

The 300-foot thick ice shelf crossed the Prince Gustav Channel and connected James Ross Island to the tip of the peninsula in northwest Antarctica at the South Pole. Farther south, a chunk of ice measuring 48 miles by 22 miles has broken off the Larsen Ice Shelf that makes up a large portion of the peninsula’s east coast.

Scientists expect the iceberg to drift north the next few weeks and melt quickly in warmer water.