IPine Island Glacier, ebekwe kwiAntarctic Glacier, yenye yezona ndawo zimbini zomkhenkce zingazinzanga. Lelona dama likhulu elinomkhenkce kule ndawo, kwaye lo 23 kuSeptemba wahlupheka kakhulu. I-267 square km yomphezulu yahlulwa, malunga namaxesha ama-4 ubukhulu beManhattan. Ngokuka-Stef Lhermitte, uprofesa weGeoscience kunye ne-Remotement Measurement kwiYunivesithi yaseDelft yezobugcisa, eNetherlands, i-iceberg enkulu yabonakala ngathi kamva yaqhekeka kwiziqithi ezininzi zomkhenkce emva kokuwela kuLwandlekazi iAntarctic.
Isiganeko sisiphumo sokuwa kwangaphakathi kwi-glacier. IPine Island sesinye sezibini zomkhenkce abathi abaphengululi bathi bathambekele ekonakaleni okukhawulezayo, kuzisa umkhenkce omninzi ukusuka ngaphakathi kulwandle. Nyaka ngamnye umkhenkce uphulukana neetoni ezingama-45.000 zeqhwa. Ukususela ngo-2009, sele ikhona Ukuqhekeka komhlaba okukhulu kwesi glace. Inye ngo-2013 enye ngo-2015. Ikwanoxanduva lwayo ikota yokunyibilika kweAntarctica.
Unokulindela ntoni kuyo yonke le nto?
Kwaphela iinyanga abaphandi sele belumkisile ngomngcipheko wokuwa komhlaba njengalowo wenzekileyo. Ukunyibilika komkhenkce kunokukhukula kunxweme lwehlabathi. Ukuthathela ingqalelo ukuba uMzantsi wePole, I-Antarctic, iqulethe i-90% yomkhenkce emhlabeni, ukongeza kuma-70% "amanzi amatsha" eMhlabeni, kuqikelelwa ukuba ukunyibilika kwayo ngokupheleleyo kuya kunyusa amanqanaba olwandle ngeemitha ezingama-61. Akufuneki ukuthetha, oko kuya kuba yintlekele.
Ayinakwenzeka ngokukhawuleza. Ukunyibilika kuhamba kancinci kodwa kuyaqhubeka, akuyeki. Kuwo wonke unyaka, kwixesha elibandayo liyabanda, kwaye ngexesha elifudumeleyo liyanyibilika. Ingxaki yile uyanyibilika ngaphandle komkhenkce awenzayo, kwaye akuyeki ukuya kokungaphezulu, Ukusishiya neziganeko ezinje ngeendaba ezikufutshane. Inyani yile yokuba ukufudumala kwehlabathi kuchaphazela ngokuthe ngqo, kwaye nangona iqondo lobushushu eliphakathi le-Antarctic li -37ºC, i-thaw ayisiyi kuphela ngokuthe ngcembe, iya isiba ngakumbi kwaye iya phambili.
Ngaphandle kokuthetha ukuba oku kunokuba nokubakho kwinqanaba lolwandle, akupheleli apho. Ingaguqula imisinga yamanzi olwandle, ichaphazele into eyaziwa ngokuba yi "belt transporter belt."
Ibhanti yokuhambisa ulwandle emngciphekweni
Eli bhanti likhulu ngumsinga omkhulu wamanzi olwandle ikwabiwa kwakhona kwamaqondo obushushu. Amanzi abandayo aya kwi-ikhweyitha, apho afudumala khona. Ukuphakama kobushushu, kokukhona ubunzima buncinci kunye nokuphakama kwamanzi abaleke kulo mlambo. Amaqondo obushushu asezantsi, kuyehla ukuhamba kwawo. Olu tshintsho kumaqondo obushushu nawo anegalelo kubomi bolwandle, kwaye iindawo ezithile zomhlaba zinokonwabela imozulu ethile.
Ngonyibiliko olupheleleyo lwezibonda, ibhanti yokuhambisa ulwandle iyanyamalalaceria. Imisinga iya kuchaphazeleka, nkqu nemimoya. Esinye seziphumo zokuqala ezinokuthi zenzeke xa simisiwe, iya kuba kukubona indlela ezifa ngayo iikorale. Ukubaluleka kwabo kubuninzi bezinto eziphilayo zolwandle kuya kuba nefuthe elibi ebomini. Iya kuba sisiphumo sedomino, kuba iikorale sisiseko sobomi bezinye izinto eziphilayo, kwaye nokusebenzisana nezinye izinto eziphilayo. Umda abanawo wokuziqhelanisa notshintsho kumaqondo obushushu mncinci kakhulu. Ngenxa yoko, indawo yayo yokuhlala ihlala ishukuma phakathi kobushushu bamanzi ubuncinci ama-20ºC kunye nobuninzi be-30ºC.
Ayizukuba iyaqala ukwenzeka, kwaye kulapho uninzi lwempikiswano luvulwa khona malunga nokuba sisiphumo sokufudumala komhlaba okubangelwa ngumntu, okanye ngumjikelo weplanethi. Ixesha lokugqibela ukurekhodwa kwale nto yayiyiminyaka engama-13.000 eyadlulayo. Ekugqibeleni, inokuba ngumjikelo weplanethi kwaye abantu bayikhawulezisile, beshiya uphawu lwabo. Ngapha koko, into eyaziwayo kukuba umntu uchaphazela umhlaba wonke. Kukho iingxoxo ezimbalwa kunye nezimbalwa ebusweni bobungqina obuninzi.