For those deniers of climate change, how are you going to defend your stance despite overwhelming scientific data, when part of the USA is under water?
If you think that this is not a possibility and a national security issue, wait until you hear the rest of the story…
On 2/7/17 Jugal K. Patel of the NY Times posted the following report, “A Crack in an Antarctic Ice Shelf Grew 17 Miles in the Last Two Months:”
“The crack in Larsen C now reaches over 100 miles in length, and some parts of it are as wide as two miles. The tip of the rift is currently only about 20 miles from reaching the other end of the ice shelf.”
“Once the crack reaches all the way across the ice shelf, the break will create one of the largest icebergs ever recorded, according to Project Midas, a research team that has been monitoring the rift since 2014. Because of the amount of stress the crack is placing on the remaining 20 miles of the shelf, the team expects the break soon.”
“The iceberg is likely to break free within the next few months,” said Adrian J. Luckman of Swansea University in Wales, who is a lead researcher for Project Midas. “The rift tip has moved from one region of likely softer ice to another, which explains its step-wise progress.”
“The rift (has been) gradually widening from late 2014 to January of this year. Ice shelves, which form through runoff from glaciers, float in water and provide structural support to the glaciers that rest on land. When an ice shelf collapses, the glaciers behind it can accelerate toward the ocean. Higher temperatures in the region are also helping to further the ice shelf’s retreat.”
“If the ice shelf breaks at the crack, Larsen C will be at its smallest size ever recorded.”
“That would also leave the ice front much closer to the ice shelf’s compressive arch, a line that scientists say is critical for structural support. If the front retreats past that line, scientists say, the northernmost part of the shelf could collapse within months. It could also significantly change the landscape of the Antarctic peninsula.”
“At that point in time, the glaciers will react,” Eric J. Rignot, a glaciologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said. “If the ice shelf breaks apart, it will remove a buttressing force on the glaciers that flow into it. The glaciers will feel less resistance to flow, effectively removing a cork in front of them.”
“The crack reaches all the way to the bottom of the ice shelf.”
“The crack in Larsen C is a third of a mile deep, down to the floor of the ice shelf.” 
“Scientists fear that two crucial anchor points will be lost as the shelf retreats.”
“According to Dr. Rignot, the stability of the whole ice shelf is threatened.”
“You have these two anchors on the side of Larsen C that play a critical role in holding the ice shelf where it is,” he said. “If the shelf is getting thinner, it will be more breakable and it will lose contact with the ice rises.”
“Ice rises are islands that are overridden by the ice shelf, allowing them to shoulder more support of the shelf. Scientists have yet to determine the extent of thinning around the Bawden and Gipps ice rises, though Dr. Rignot noted that the Bawden ice rise was a much more vulnerable anchor.’
“We’re not even sure how it’s hanging on there,” he said. “But if you take away Bawden, the whole shelf will feel it.”
“The collapse of the Larsen C ice shelf may not sharply affect global sea level rise, but the collapse of other vulnerable ice shelves will.”
“The Larsen A and B ice shelves disintegrated in 1995 and 2002, though both were drastically smaller than Larsen C. Neither contributed significantly to global sea level rise, however, because they were already floating above water, and the glaciers behind them did not contain a substantial volume of ice.”
“According to Dr. Rignot, the collapse of Larsen C would add only a tiny amount of water to the global sea level. Of greater concern to scientists is how the collapse of ice shelves can affect the glaciers that flow behind them, because the melting of those glaciers can cause much higher levels of ocean rise. Scientists see the impending Larsen C collapse as a warning that much larger amounts of ice in West Antarctica could be vulnerable.”
Gronda Morin 
So depressing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Renxkyoko,
This should be the world’s focus which was the reason for the Paris agreements among countries to address climate change which of course, DT totally discounts.
Hugs, Gronda
LikeLike
At times i wish coastal waters around the world would rise 10′ so gov’t take the issue more seriously!
LikeLike
Dear 1EarthUnited,
Let the flooding start in Washington DC, and then you’d see some action.
Ciao, Gronda
LikeLike
Climate deniers tend to think, like melting ice cubes in a glass of water, that melting icebergs do not raise sea level. If they knew ice has greater volume than water, they’d probably argue that melting icebergs will lower sea levels. They never seem to wonder why the polar caps are melting, or to consider all the dripping glaciers above the water mark.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear JoAnn Chateau,
This is why the republicans resist science and facts. This way, in their alt-universe they do have to deal with the negative consequences of denying the reality of climate change and not taking preventative steps.This is truly, La La land.
Hugs, Gronda
LikeLike
Gronda, great post. I wrote the following comment a few minutes ago on Jill’s post.
As President Nero fiddles, climate change continues to heat the planet. The World Economic Forum said the greatest two risks to the planet over the next ten years are 1) our global water crisis and 2) not addressing climate change faster.
Our country does not even talk openly about the first issue which is affecting our planet and country. On climate change, we have a President and too large a percentage of our country who are believing it is not a serious threat and man does not influence it.
The related concern is climate change also impacts the first major threat. Duke Energy factors climate change into its water usage models and notes that with respect to the Catawba River that supplies power and water to millions of people, the reservoirs will have an additional 11% evaporation due to climate change.
So, a simple question to our President would be if this is a hoax, why is Duke Energy factoring it into its water projection models?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Keith,
Thanks for all the added information.
To my way of thinking, DT, his cohorts and enabling republicans are derelict in their duty to keep this country safe. They are selling their souls yo the fossil fuel industry. It is a top level national security issue.
Ciao, Gronda
LikeLike
Gronda, the Russia issue, Tillotson appointment and fossil fuel industry focus may go back to the significant personal gain from exploring the arctic for oil. Your post of a few weeks ago was very interesting in this regard. The tax returns may have a smoking gun that DT does not want seen. Whether any or none of this is true, the issue of Russian ties must be explored for the good of the country, irrespective of the incumbent. Keith
LikeLiked by 1 person