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Antarctica: Larsen Ice Shelf Side by Side Comparison
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In 1978, scientists predicted that global warming would lead to a disintegration of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves. Spaceborne data indicate that this prediction may be coming true. In these before and after images, note the dramatic change in the apparent shoreline. Scientists captured the first image using the ERS-1 satellite in 1992. As seen in the second image, collected by RADARSAT in 1997, huge changes have come to the coastline. In 1995, a 2000 square kilometer section of the ice shelf collapsed into thousands of fragments that eventually drifted out to sea. Researchers are still debating why the ice shelf broke up so dramatically, and what significance the break up has for interpreting local versus global changes to the environment. Theories include a series of warmer than usual summers which may have caused high levels of surface melting, or an overall climate warming trend.
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A side by side comparsion of the Larsen Ice Shelf before (1992) and after (1997) the collapse in 1995.
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320 x 216
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Larsen Ice Shelf in 1992, prior to the collapse in 1995.
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636 KB
320 x 216
JPEG
18 KB
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Larsen Ice Shelf in 1997, after the collapse in 1995.
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628 KB
320 x 216
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PNG
6 KB
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