Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Brands

News

Manhattan-sized Ice Shelf Breaks Off Of Canada

The polar bears aren't going to like this...

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

In another “Day After Tomorrow”-worthy portent of climate-change doom, an ice shelf the size of Manhattan just broke off of Canada’s Ellesmere Island. It now lies adrift in the Arctic Ocean.

The Markham Ice Shelf, located on the northern side of Ellesmere, is 19-square miles in size, and provides an important habitat for the microbial life that lives at the bottom of the Arctic food chain. While it’s dwarfed by similar ice shelf breakages — namely the 160-square-mile Wilkins ice shelf, which seceded from Antarctica in 2005 — it still serves as a powerful reminder of the rapid changes brought on by sudden climate change.

Presumably, this new reality will include no polar bears, catastrophic storms, and the streets of Manhattan underwater. At least that last one sounds fun, if you’ve got a jet ski.

— Ted Alvarez

The Arctic’s “New Reality”: Another Ice Shelf Collapses (Wired)

How to Pack for Backcountry Skiing

Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack.

Keywords: