Amazon Quiz: Pine Island Glacier, one of the fastest melting glaciers, is located in which place?
The Himalayas
Antarctica
The Alps
Arctic circle
Answer: Antarctica
Pine Island Glacier is one of Antarctica’s biggest ice streams. It flows into the Amundsen Sea embayment in West Antarctica, combined with Thwaites Ice Stream, and the two ice streams drain 5% of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Pine Island Glacier may flow at up to 4000 metres per year.
Scientists are interested in Pine Island Glacier because it is quickly changing; it is thinning, accelerating, and receding, all of which contribute directly to sea-level rise, and its future in a warming climate is unknown.
The Pine Island Glacier is supported by a vast, floating ice shelf that serves to stabilise the glacier; however, this ice shelf is diminishing and has just calved a massive iceberg.
Also read: World’s largest iceberg breaks off Antarctica
Despite this desire, getting to Pine Island Glacier is challenging. Because it is far from any research sites, travelling there necessitates numerous short flights and the establishment of fuel depots to allow scientists to fly there. Flying is frequently made dangerous by low-lying clouds. Walking on the ice stream is challenging since it is highly crevassed and hazardous.
Sea ice holds ships at bay, making access to the ice stream from the sea impossible.
Scientists, on the other hand, have devised a number of clever methods for monitoring changes in this fragile and vital ice stream. They have launched javelins equipped with sensors onto the ice surface, into regions with too many crevasses for people to go, and they can detect changes in ice extent and thinning from satellites.
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