Ice Larger Than Manhattan Breaks Off Greenland Glacier
Posted By thestatedtruth.com on August 8, 2010
A chunk of ice four times the size of Manhattan has calved from Greenland’s Petermann Glacier, scientists announced on Friday. The last time the Arctic lost such a large chunk of ice was in 1962.
Petermann Glacier, the parent of the new ice island, is one of the two largest remaining glaciers in Greenland that terminate in floating shelves. The glacier connects the great Greenland ice sheet directly with the ocean.
The new ice island has an area of at least 100 square miles (260 square kilometers) and a thickness up to half the height of the Empire State Building, which is 1,454 feet (443 meters) from the ground to the top of its lightning rod.
“The freshwater stored in this ice island could keep the Delaware or Hudson rivers flowing for more than two years. It could also keep all U.S. public tap water flowing for 120 days,” Muenchow said.
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