"Researchers at the Centre for Earth Observation and Science at the University of Manitoba, Canada, analyzed observational data from 2002 to 2022 to track the formation and propagation of cracks in the ice shelf shear zone. They discovered that as the cracks grew, the connection between the ice shelf and the mid-ocean ridge weakened, accelerating the upstream flow of ice."
"The study reveals that the weakening of the ice shelf occurred in four distinct phases, with crack growth occurring in two stages. In the first phase, long cracks appeared along the ice flow, gradually extending eastward. Some exceeded 8 km in length and spanned the entire shelf. In the second phase, numerous short cross-flow cracks, less than 2 km long, emerged, doubling the total length of the fissures."
Observational data from 2002–2022 tracked formation and propagation of cracks in the ice-shelf shear zone. Crack growth weakened the connection between the eastern ice shelf and the mid-ocean ridge, accelerating upstream ice flow. The weakening progressed through four distinct phases and two stages of crack growth: initial long, flow-aligned cracks extended eastward (some over 8 km), followed by many short, cross-flow cracks under 2 km, doubling total fissure length. Total crack length rose from about 165 km in 2002 to 336 km in 2021. Average crack length decreased from 3.2 km to 1.5 km, indicating a shift toward numerous smaller fractures and changed stress within the ice shelf.
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