Antarctic ice shelf heading toward collapse

crack in Larsen C ice shelf

A 100-meter-wide, kilometers-long rift in Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf, shown in this image from Nov. 10, 2016, could soon break off a 5,000-square-kilometer chunk of ice into the ocean, scientists warn.

John Sonntag/NASA

One of Antarctica’s largest ice shelves is nearing its breaking point, scientists warn.