Scientists have discovered a rare event, a collapsing ice sheet. With already multi meter sea level rise estimates from global warming, this highlighted event may accelerate trends further, with serious implications for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

This collapse event was captured for the first time, by satellite imagery. The location of the ice sheet, the Russian Arctic, and now with the event unfolding scientists think they’re watching a fast-moving river of ice being born.

References

• The Possible Transition From Glacial Surge to Ice Stream on Vavilov Ice Cap https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019GL084948
• A Never-Before-Seen Event Is Collapsing an Ice Sheet in the Russian Arctic https://www.livescience.com/first-evidence-glacier-surges-become-ice-streams.html
• AAAS Why slow glaciers can sometimes surge as fast as a speeding train–wiping out people in their path https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1BTLzUxEjM
• AGU A first-ever look at ice stream formation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPfVUHFpRhk
• Stefan Rahmstorf “Rising Seas: How Fast, How Far?” – the Earth101 lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhLOZ_bbgzQ
• Greenman Studio Twila Moon PhD on Arctic Melt and Human Choices https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjYERC_pjBA
• Barclay Kamb via Did You Know? ⭐⭐⭐ The State of Sea Level Rise (2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9pH5d7vKBs