The crack in this Antarctic ice shelf just grew by 17 kilometres. A break could be imminent

The current location of the rift on Larsen C, as of
January 2017. Labels highlight significant jumps.
 Tip positions are derived from Landsat (USGS)
 and Sentinel-1 InSAR (ESA) data. Background
 image blends BEDMAP2 Elevation (BAS) with
MODIS MOA2009 Image mosaic (NSIDC).
Other data from SCAR ADD and OSM.

An enormous rift in one of Antarctica's largest ice shelves grew dramatically over the past month, and a massive chunk more than twice the size of the ACT could break away as soon as later this summer, British scientists reported this week.

If this happens, it could accelerate a further breakup of the ice shelf, essentially removing a massive cork of ice that keeps some of Antarctica's glaciers from flowing into the ocean.

The long term result, scientists project, could be to noticeably raise global sea levels by 10 centimetres, or almost four inches.

It's the latest sign of major ice loss in the fast warming Antarctic Peninsula, which has already seen the breakup of two other shelves in the same region, events that have been widely attributed to climate change.

Read Chris Mooney’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “The crack in this Antarctic ice shelf just grew by 17 kilometres. A break could be imminent.”