Antarctic shelf 'hangs by thread'

[url=http://icecap.us/index.php/go/political-climate]"The full Wilkins 6,000 square mile ice shelf is just 0.39% of the
current ice sheet (just 0.1% of the extent last September). Only a
small portion of it between 1/10th-1/20th of Wilkins has separated so
far, like an icicle falling off a snow and ice covered house. And this
winter is coming on quickly. In fact the ice is returning so fast, it
is running an amazing 60% ahead (4.0 vs 2.5 million square km extent)
of last year when it set a new record. The ice extent is already
approaching the second highest level for extent since the measurements
began by satellite in 1979 and just a few days into the Southern
Hemisphere winter and ...

"The full Wilkins 6,000 square mile ice shelf is just 0.39% of the
current ice sheet (just 0.1% of the extent last September). Only a
small portion of it between 1/10th-1/20th of Wilkins has separated so
far, like an icicle falling off a snow and ice covered house. And this
winter is coming on quickly. In fact the ice is returning so fast, it
is running an amazing 60% ahead (4.0 vs 2.5 million square km extent)
of last year when it set a new record. The ice extent is already
approaching the second highest level for extent since the measurements
began by satellite in 1979 and just a few days into the Southern
Hemisphere winter and 6 months ahead of the peak. Wilkins like all the
others that temporarily broke up will refreeze soon. We are very likely
going to exceed last year’s record. Yet the world is left with the
false impression Antarctica’s ice sheet is also starting to disappear."


One Icecap reader points also to a paper (Glasser et al, 2008) identifying some of the other natural processes that can lead to these ice sheet breaks, in this case Larsen B.