Record high temperatures in Antarctica are believed to have contributed to the complete collapse of an ice shelf 20 times the size of Manhattan. The Conger ice shelf, which had an approximate surface area of 450 square miles, collapsed around March 15, scientists said Friday. The collapse was recorded in a series of astonishing satellite images with the process accelerating following record high temperatures in recent weeks, with reports of temperatures as high as 10F on March 18, when it would more typically be -50F. Catherine Colello Walker, an earth and planetary scientist at NASA, told TheGuardian, “It is one of the most significant collapse events anywhere in Antarctica since the early 2000s, when the Larsen B ice shelf disintegrated. It won’t have huge effects, most likely, but it’s a sign of what might be coming.” She said the shelf had been shrinking gradually for two decades but the process accelerated dramatically in 2020.
