Tragic news rained down Canada as its massive last intact ice shelf named Milne crumbled into the Arctic ocean, losing 40% of its mass in less than 48 hours, Reuters reported.
Canada's Milne ice shelf worth 79 square kilometers or 30 square miles in size cascaded in less than two days into the Arctic Ocean. This happened not long ago at the end of July, with Canada's arctic losing a massive percentage in its recorded ice mass.
The ice shelf that sank is more massive than New York's Manhattan Area sizing at 59.1 square kilometers. This particular occurrence is a big hit in Canada's ice caps as that particular ice shelf is as big as populated and inhabited cities.
The Milne Ice Shelf is located in the vicinity of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada. The island is known to have a low density with regards to population and inhabitants.
"Entire cities are that size. These are big pieces of ice," Luke Copeland, a glaciologist from the University of Ottawa that studies the Milne Ice Shelf, said.
"This was the largest remaining intact ice shelf." Copland shares his dismay with the ice's abrupt collapsing, saying that it "basically disintegrated."
The ECCC Canadian Ice Service shared on their Twitter account that many elements like above average air temperatures, offshore winds, and open water just in front of the Milne Ice Shelf contributed to the collapse of the ice caps.
Satellite animation, from July 30 to August 4, shows the collapse of the last fully intact #iceshelf in #Canada. The Milne Ice Shelf, located on #EllesmereIsland in #Nunavut, has now reduced in area by ~43%. #MilneIceIsland #seaice #Arctic #earthrightnow #glacier pic.twitter.com/jjs1gawoxA — ECCC Canadian Ice Service (@ECCC_CIS) August 4, 2020
Is Arctic Amplification the cause?
The Arctic is reported to have been warming up in recent news, and studies confirm that this is true for the last 30 years. This phenomenon is called the 'Arctic Amplification' and is said to be apparent in all Arctic regions and ice bodies.
This summer recorded an increase of 5 degrees Celcius (41 degrees in Fahrenheit) in the Canadian Arctic Regions. This is in comparison to the expected and supposed 30-year average, which 2020 surpassed by 5 degrees.
Copland and the research group warns that smaller ice caps are more subject to melting and disappearing as they do not have what the massive glaciers have. Smaller ice caps are more prone because they have no 'support' that keeps them cold underneath or around them, unlike the far bigger ones. This occurrence endangers the ice mass in the Arctic regions and in the whole world.
What is Arctic Amplification?
Arctic Amplification is a phenomenon that occurs in the Arctic's ice region. The Arctic, as we know it, is heating up faster than the rate unlike anywhere else in the world.
"The loss of sea ice is one of the most cited reasons. When bright and reflective ice melts, it gives way to a darker ocean; this amplifies the warming trend because the ocean surface absorbs more heat from the Sun than the surface of snow and ice." NASA's Earth observatory states.
Heatwaves and cold waves are not proportionate anymore. More heatwaves tend to warm the world's ice more than what's expected.
"But that heat has really just not stopped. It is just getting too warm," Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center said in an interview with CNN regarding another ice cap disappearing in Canada's St. Patrick's Bay just a few days ago. The data came from NASA's satellite imagery.
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Written by Isaiah Alonzo
