Northern Antarctica's Wilkins ice bridge collapse - Images

A narrow ice bridge connecting Charcot Island and Latady Island ”the last remnant of the northern part of Antarctica's Wilkins Ice Shelf broke apart in early April 2009.

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13 Apr 2009, 10:40 pm

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A narrow ice bridge connecting Charcot Island and Latady Island ”the last remnant of the northern part of Antarctica's Wilkins Ice Shelf broke apart in early April 2009. These photo-like images, from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), show the break-up of the ice bridge.

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The pieces of the former ice bridge join multiple other chunks of ice formed as the northern portion of the ice shelf broke apart throughout the previous decade. The broken pieces of the shelf have remained frozen in place since 1998, but now that the ice bridge no longer provides a barrier, the remnants of the ice shelf may flow out into the Southern Ocean.