A really BIG iceberg is coming!

Posted on November 9, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A long crack on the Pine Island Glacier

Good Morning, God!

Apparently NASA has a new project called IceBridge — keeping an eye on Earth’s polar ice. On October 14, 2011 they noticed this crack on Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier.

You can barely see the crack in this photo, but it is 18 miles long and 260 feet wide and 165-195 feet deep. That’s a BIG crack, God!

Close-up of the crack that's 260 ft. wide and up to 195 ft. deep

The last time scientists noticed a crack on this glacier was late in 2000 and the iceberg didn’t break off until late in 2001. It took a year? I wondered why until I learned that the ice at the crack is 1,640 feet thick. So, 165 feet deep is only about 10% of the total depth. Yes, I guess it will take a year.

This is going to be one BIG iceberg, God. I wonder what the wave will be like when it breaks off? I’m curious.

I’m also interested on a personal level about how much ice is flowing into the ocean. We live on an island and sitting here in my office I’m 38 feet above sea level.

The article says: “As a primary outlet for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Pine Island Glacier is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in global sea level rise projections.” They are talking “the next couple of decades.” Hmmm.

The thing about this sort of change is that it accelerates — creating a “positive feedback loop.” It doesn’t just stop or “go away.” I wish I didn’t know that, God! I don’t like thinking about sea levels rising. I don’t like thinking about how Thailand is flooding and how much of Bangladesh is under water when the high tides and storms sweep in.

We humans will need a lot of help from You, God, to respond appropriately.