There’s a giant crack in an Antarctic ice shelf. Should we be worried?
A crack in the Antarctic ice shelf known as Larsen C has grown by 17 miles since the beginning of December, according to news reports. Scientists warn that a giant iceberg may soon break away from the shelf. We asked Northeastern’s Daniel Douglass, an expert in glacial geography, to explain why ice shelves form, what causes them to crack, and how they affect the environment.