Melting Pine Island Glacier; huge concern over the rising sea level
Ross Island, September 27: Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier (PIG) broke off on Saturday. 100 square mile iceberg divided into many smaller parts of Icebergs which raised the huge concerns over the rising sea level in future. The satellite images showed the proof of division.
Scientists have anticipated the break of Larsen C ice shelf which weighs a trillion tons and is more than 2,200 square miles in the area which took place on 12th July 2017. Pine Island Glacier is the fastest melting glacier in Antarctica which is responsible for about 25% of Antarctica's ice loss. Every year 45 billion tons of ice melt which adds up the rise in sea level every eight years by one millimeter.
NASA scientists working in Antarctica discovered a massive crack across the Pine Island Glacier in October 2011. it is a major ice stream that drains the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This berg extends up to for 19 miles (30 kilometers) and the crack was 260 feet (80 meters) wide and 195 feet (60 meters) deep.
Specialist Satellite observation of Dr. Stef Lhermitte is the first who reported the new iceberg on Twitter. He said the glacier's latest break-off is the fifth biggest Antarctic calving event since 2000. Pine Island Glacier could raise sea levels by 1.7 feet (0.5 meters) if allowed to completely melt.