Warming air caused the collapse of an ice shelf off the South Pole

ArabiaWeather.com - A report issued by the scientific journal "Science" stated that the high air temperature was the reason behind the collapse of a massive ice shelf located off the South Pole in 2002.

The report, whose results were published by scientists, may have a role in predicting possible future collapses in Antarctica.

The Antarctic is a major factor in the rise in water levels in the seas and oceans, which threatens coastal areas and beaches all over the world.

And in the event that the ice melts in the Antarctic, the water level across the planet may rise by 57 meters, and therefore any melting of ice, however limited, is a matter of concern.

Scientists who participated in the report attribute the collapse of the ice shelf to the high air temperature in the short Antarctic summer, and the flow of melt water and rain in the deep cracks in it.

The report indicated that the water expanded when it turned into ice and melted water re-frozen inside the cracks, in the Larsen B dock, which is about 200 meters thick, which led to the formation of enormous pressure inside the cracks, which broke the ice in 2002, and led to the collapse of the ice pavement.