Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica

This is an image used in the study of shrinking glaciers, specifically Pine Island Glacier near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. This image itself is particularly interesting because it shows the emergence of an abnormal rift in the glacier, where it will eventually break off and become an iceberg. By using remote sensing, the scientists can study how these glaciers are melting and breaking off, and the increase in frequency that that pattern is happening throughout Antarctica. That pattern recognition is important for the understanding of how warming waters is effecting glacier melting specifically with which is more pertinent;  thinning at the glaciers edge, ice front retreating inland, and acceleration of these trends.