Ayles Polar Ice Shelf Collapses
The Ayles ice shelf that is attached to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic, has broken off and is now an ice island. The break occurred in August 2005, but has only now been detected in satellite images. The ice shelf, 25-square-miles in area, is one of six major ice shelves in the Canadian Arctic that is packed with ice over 3,000 years-old. The disturbing event is another sign of the galloping pace of climate change due to global warming.
Between 2004 and 2005, the Arctic perennial sea ice has shrunk by 14% -- or about 280,000 square miles. As the ice melts, the Arctic ocean becomes warmer in the summer -- further impeding winter freezing and accelerating further declines. The impact poses a significant threat not just to the environment, but also the economy. You would think that with such dramatic evidence that massive change is underway, those in denial would be silenced. You would think.
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, our leaders continue to parrot dodo environmental policy of the US government, and inaction continues.
Between 2004 and 2005, the Arctic perennial sea ice has shrunk by 14% -- or about 280,000 square miles. As the ice melts, the Arctic ocean becomes warmer in the summer -- further impeding winter freezing and accelerating further declines. The impact poses a significant threat not just to the environment, but also the economy. You would think that with such dramatic evidence that massive change is underway, those in denial would be silenced. You would think.
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, our leaders continue to parrot dodo environmental policy of the US government, and inaction continues.
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