Why do we care about ice shelves?
Ice shelves, the floating extensions of ice sheets, do not contribute directly to sea level rise. However, ice shelves slow the seaward flow of the grounded ice sheet, which does contribute to sea level rise. When ice shelves shrink beyond a critical point, the sea level contribution from ice sheets increases.
A case study: Larsen B ice shelf collapse triggered retreat (Hulbe et al. 2008) and acceleration (Rignot et al. 2004; Scambos et al. 2004) of outlet glaciers in the Antarctic Peninsula.
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Ice shelves in Antarctica lose less than half of their mass by breaking up into icebergs. Most of the ice has melted into the ocean by the time it reaches the edge of the ice shelf (Rignot et al. 2013). |