Arctic Ice Cracking: Huge Ice Chunk Breaks Off Ward Hunt Shelf
Vittorio Hernandez - AHN News Writer
Ellesmere Island, Nunavut (AHN) - A large chunk of ice, measuring 2.48 square miles (4 square kilometers), broke off from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf in Nunavat and could result in more cracks in the ice shelf, according to Arctic ice experts. The Ward Hunt ice shelf is the starting point for most Arctic expeditions. Arctic ice experts say the break, which occurred last Wednesday or Thursday, is the largest since 2005. Prior to last week's event, several larger ice breaks have been recorded. In 2005, the Ayles Ice Shelf, one of six in Canada, broke into a 41 square mile (66 square kilometer) ice island, which floated out at sea. The crack was discovered by Dr. Derek Mueller, an Arctic ice expert, who with his team, monitored the area in April. At that time the rack was 11.2 miles (18 kilometers) long and 43.7 yards (40 meters) wide, which indicated it would possibly break off from the main ice shelf soon. "It may weaken over time; it may melt away slowly, then all of a sudden you pass this threshold," said Mueller. He compared it to a bar of soap, which thins over time with use. Trudy Wohlleben, a Canadian Ice Service sea-ice forecaster, said the separated chunk is probably floating in the Beaufort Gyre, a clockwise current in the Western Arctic, which is ice clogged. Wohlleben said the iceberg will probably not pose as imminent danger to vessels plying the ice-cold waters. A Canadian Ice Service team is trying to establish the wind conditions when the ice broke off to determine the floating iceberg's location, but is having difficulty.