IPine Island Glacier, etholakala e-Antarctic Glacier, ingesinye sezinguzunga zeqhwa ezimbili ezingazinzile kakhulu. Lidamu elikhulu kunawo wonke leqhwa endaweni, futhi lo Septhemba 23 wehlelwa ukuqhekeka okukhulu. Ama-267 square km wobuso ahlukanisiwe, icishe iphindwe kane ubukhulu beManhattan. Ngokusho kukaStef Lhermitte, uprofesa weGeoscience and Remote Measurement eDelft Technical University, eNetherlands, iqhwa elikhulu leqhwa kubukeka sengathi lizogqashula iziqhingi eziningi ngemuva kokudabula i-Antarctic Ocean.
Umcimbi ungumphumela wokuwa kwangaphakathi eqhweni. IPine Island ingesinye sezinguzunga zeqhwa ezimbili abacwaningi abathi zithambekele ekuwohlokeni ngokushesha, okuletha iqhwa eliningi ukusuka ngaphakathi kolwelwesi olwandle. Njalo ngonyaka inguzunga yeqhwa ilahlekelwa amathani ayizigidi ezingama-45.000 eqhwa. Kusukela ngo-2009, sekuvele kukhona ukudilika kwenhlabathi okubili kwalesi siqhwa. Eyodwa ngo-2013 neyodwa ngo-2015. Kubuye kube nesibopho sekota yesilinganiso se-Antarctica.
Yini ongayilindela kukho konke lokhu kuncibilika?
Sekuphele izinyanga abacwaningi sebexwayisile ngengozi yokudilika kwenhlabathi njengaleyo eyenzekile. Ukuncibilika kweqhwa kungakhukhula ogwini emhlabeni wonke. Ngokubheka ukuthi iNingizimu Pole, i-Antarctic, iqukethe ama-90% eqhwa emhlabeni, ngaphezu kwama-70% "wamanzi ahlanzekile" eMhlabeni, kulinganiselwa ukuthi ukuncibilika kwawo okuphelele kungakhuphula izinga lolwandle ngamamitha angama-61. Akunasidingo sokusho, lokho kungaba yinhlekelele.
Akunakwenzeka ngobusuku obubodwa. Ukuncibilika kuhamba kancane kepha kuyaqhubeka, akuyeki. Unyaka wonke, ngenkathi ebandayo iyaqina, futhi ngenkathi efudumele iyancibilika. Inkinga ukuthi lincibilika ngaphezu kweqhwa elikhiqizayo, futhi aluyeki ukuya kokuningi, esishiya nemicimbi efana nezindaba eziseduze. Iqiniso ngukuthi ukufudumala kwembulunga yonke kuthinta ngqo, futhi yize izinga lokushisa elijwayelekile le-Antarctic lingu - 37ºC, incibilikisi ayigcini nje ngokuhamba kancane, iya ngokuya ikhula ngokwengeziwe.
Ngaphandle kwencazelo yokuthi lokhu kungaba nakho ekukhuleni kolwandle, akugcini lapho. Izoguqula imisinga yamanzi olwandle, ithinte lokho okwaziwa ngokuthi "ibhande lokuthuthwa kolwandle."
Ibhande lokuthuthwa kolwandle elisengozini
Leli bhande elikhulu lingumsinga omkhulu wamanzi olwandle lokho kuhanjiswa kabusha kwamazinga okushisa. Amanzi abandayo aya enkabazwe, lapho afudumala khona. Lapho izinga lokushisa liphakama, isisindo salo sincane futhi amanzi aya phezulu kulo mfula. Ukushisa okuphansi, kuhamba phansi. Lokhu kuguqulwa kwamazinga okushisa nakho kunomthelela empilweni yasolwandle, nokuthi izindawo ezithile zomhlaba zingajabulela isimo sezulu esithile.
Ngokuncibilika okuphelele kwezigxobo, ibhande lokuthuthwa kolwandle liyanyamalalaceria. Imisinga izothinteka, ngisho nemimoya. Omunye wemiphumela yokuqala engenzeka uma iyeka, kungaba ukubona ukuthi amakhorali afa kanjani. Ukubaluleka abanakho emvelweni emikhulu yasolwandle kuzoba nomthelela omubi empilweni. Kungaba ngumphumela womphumela we-domino, ngoba amakhorali ayisisekelo sempilo yezinye izidalwa eziningi, futhi nokufanelana nezinye izidalwa. Imajini abanayo yokuzivumelanisa nezinguquko ekushiseni incane kakhulu. Ngakho-ke indawo abahlala kuyo ihlala izula phakathi kokushisa kwamanzi okungenani okungama-20ºC nobukhulu obungu-30ºC.
Bekungeke kube okokuqala ukuthi kwenzeke, futhi kulapho kuvulwa khona izingxoxo eziningi mayelana nokuthi kungumphumela wokufudumala kwembulunga okubangelwa ngumuntu, noma ngumjikelezo weplanethi uqobo. Isikhathi sokugcina lapho kukhona amarekhodi alesi simo kwaba yiminyaka eyi-13.000 edlule. Ekugcineni, kungaba ngumjikelezo weplanethi uqobo nokuthi abantu bayisheshisile, bashiya uphawu lwabo. Noma kunjalo, into eyaziwayo ukuthi umuntu uthinta umhlaba wonke. Kunezingxoxo ezimbalwa nezimbalwa ebusweni bobufakazi obuningi kangaka.