Antarctica's Glaciers Cracked due to Global Warming.

Antarctica's Glaciers Cracked due to Global Warming.

NASA DATA. February, 2012. NASA's Terra Earth-observing satellite captured this image of Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica last November 2011, after a research team discovered a huge 19-mile (30 km) long crack running across it.

Members of the Operation Ice Bridge mission spotted the crack during a DC-8 flight over Pine Island Glacier (PIG). It's estimated to be up to 260 feet (80 meters) wide, and 195 feet (60 meters) deep.

The crack will eventually shear the glacier off completely, creating an ice island spanning 350 square miles (900 sq. km.)

The Pine Island Glacier is a major ice stream that drains 10 percent of the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Although a warming climate and warmer seas have affected glaciers elsewhere in Antarctica, calving events like this have been happening steadily on PIG over the past few decades, at least.

"It's part of a natural cycle, but it's still very interesting and impressive to see up close," said Ice Bridge project Scientist Michael Studinger. "It looks like a significant part of the ice shelf is ready to break off." Due to fuel supply issues Operation Ice Bridge was forced to cancel their last flight, departing Antarctica in November 2011. Nevertheless the mission was a success, providing Scientists with valuable on ice thickness and trends affecting global sea-level rise..., even if a few cracks were discovered along the way.

Published in February 2012.

Massive crack was discovered in ice shelf. NASA's Operation Ice Bridge discovers a major rift in Western Antarctica, which could produce an iceberg more than 800 square kilometers in size in the near future. The location of Antarctica is at the end of the world in South America.

American Scientists and Russian Scientists have been working together in these kind of projects for so long. In fact, powerful countries used to perform thermal-nuclear explosions in Antarctica during the post-war, II World War, as experiments. Can you imagine the eventual damage that humans inflicted to our precious natural environment?...

With a gargantuan crack slowly splitting it apart, Antarctica's fastest-melting glacier is about to lose a chunk of ice larger than all of NEW YORK CITY, Scientists say...

Snaking across the floating tongue of the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica, the crack is expected to create an iceberg 350 square miles (907 square kilometers), versus 303 square miles (785 square kilometers) for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and The Bronx combined, according to NASA.

"Glacier is Contributing Most to Sea Level."

Glaciers that flow into the sea, like the Pine Island Glacier, go through a normal cycle in which the floating section grows, stresses mount, and an iceberg breaks off, Ted Scambos said. He is a Glaciologist of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

But when the pattern deviates, Glaciologists take notice. In this case, the crack is forming significantly farther "upstream" than has previously been the case. That "signifies that there are changes in the ice," he said. When "that point of rifting starts to clim upstream, generally you see some acceleration of the glacier." That means the ice will flow into the ocean at a faster rate, contributing even more to sea level rise.

Hundreds of Glaciers are Melting Faster in Antarctica due to Global Warming.

Such an acceleration is of particular concern at the Pine Island Glacier, because among Antarctic Glaciers, it's "the one that's contributing the most to sea level rise."

In fact, he said, ice flows from that glacier alone account for a quarter to a third of Antarctica's total contribution to sea level rise.

"It's moving at about three kilometers, almost two miles per year," Scambos said. He noted, "it's been accelerating quite a bit."

Cracking Glacier is Really Important.

"West Antarctica has ice streams, of which Pine Island is one. Those are fast-flowing streams of ice," said Oceanographer Doug Martinson of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who specializes in Polar Oceans.

When ice breaks off the Pine Island Glacier, he said, more ice can flow in faster from the mountains above, ice that will eventually wind up contributing to sea level rise.

I personally think that humans have been contributing to Global Warming, especially since the beginning of the 20th Century. Who is responsible for the breaking of The Ozone Layer? I wonder...

I personally think that the world, and we -humans- will eventually enter into The Last Days, just like Prophets in The Revelations Chapter of The Holy Scriptures had announced thousands of years ago...

We should not forget the nuclear experiments that were performed in The Marshall Islands, especially in the Bikini Atoll after the II World War. The permanent damage in the natural environment is clearly visible. The Ozone Layer on Planet Earth was broken back then...

Greenhouse effects, heavy pollution in the air and water, thermal-nuclear explosions used during the 20th Century, and nuclear energy floating on the Earth's surface and atmosphere caused Mega Damages Worldwide. What do you think about these facts?? I wonder...

HAVE A BLESSED TIME!!

POET STARRY DAWN.

The Fog, the Bat, and Other Things...

The Fog, the Bat, and Other Things...

Well, my readers might have wondered where I have been. Don't worry! I take breaks, but I am still around...You see, I handle too many personal blogs, plus I write in a Christian American Poetry Forum. I joined a wonderful Online Christian Community back in 2005.
So, I keep my mind active.
Standing confused and feeling ill in the wee hours of the night, I still wonder what has happened...
The weather has been drifting from freezing rain to cloudy, gloomy days. Then, the fog took over, like a spooky white wall driving one from insane nightmares to sleepless nights. You see, I suffer from a chronic allergy and asthma, plus other health issues. Now, I have caught bronquitis and laryngitis with a bad weather. Breathing normally is always good news for me.
After a while, I heard my three cats, Frank, my over 17-year-old Siamese, and my rescued cats over 10-year-old siblings, Sonya and Ositoy, rambling, running wildly and howling in despair.
I was at the computer room taking a break from writing, looking for some homes to buy in a lovely Southern State, and trying to feel romantic about that...
Suddenly, I saw something flying wildly in the hallway towards the living room. My cats were chasing the black flying object, the night bird, the bat.

At that point, Doctor Paul came in from one of his private patient's visits. Paul is a Physician Surgeon, a Scientist doing some Scientific Research.

In a fraction of a second, the bat disappeared from out of sight. So, we had an unobtrusive, calm supper thinking that the bat had flown away from our 15th floor balcony.

Before I head for bedtime, I usually close windows, lock doors, check cats, and other things that are supposed to be in order before I finally go to sleep...

However, I was wrong this time. At midnight, the bat was still indoors and dangling adrift from the stairs with his head down. The ladder leads to the private terrace upon the 16th floor.

My cat, Sonya jumped on the table pointing her eyes towards the bat, and I stood in awe. So, I called out Paul -who was trying to catch some sleep, and showed him where the bat was with my flashlight, and said: "Go up there and get it out of here, please!!"

In no time, I dashed off and headed for my room and closed the door. I waited there for a few minutes. Then, I heard Paul saying: "Don't worry! The bat is gone. He flew away..."

Oh, what a release I felt! I had a hectic day, I thought to myself. It isn't easy to feel romantic, or write new poems, or new stories nowadays with bad news like these ones...

The good part of the tale is that I feel safe in a way, because my cats are always watching and guarding their territory about what is going on there, so that I may sleep in peace. In fact, my furry buddies behave well as security guards at home. My dear animals are certainly my best friends. I am their mom after all.

I used to live with ten cats at one point in time. Some of them were my Siamese, but others were orphans. I rescued them from the streets where cruel folks had been abandoned at only 15 days old. I used to feed them with a bottle of milk.

Well, going back to the bat's story, it is not unusual these sort of bats' visits in our tower building in the evening. In fact, it's rather common, yet an unpleasant visit. It has already been a number of times that bats entered into our apartment, and I had a fit, a nervous breakdown. Imagine!!...

Joe,  my computer teacher, told me once that an army of bats entered into his computer room, yet he took care of the plight saying: "Do NOT make a mountain out of a molehill!!"

It is easy said than done...

I hope you enjoy reading today's story.

Have a terrific time!!

Poet Starry Dawn.

U.S. Army Soldiers rescued their dogs' companions overseas."

"U.S. Army Soldiers rescued their dogs' companions overseas."

Well, it's Sunday evening, and I feel like sharing a good tale with my readers.
It's about homeless dogs that were best companions and friends to U.S. Soldiers while they were fighting wars overseas. The American Soldiers made a good turn to their furry friends, and brought them back home to the States. I recently read this inspirational story in the News, and I've felt truly inspired.
I am sure the love of these dogs helped the Americans when they were away in foreign lands, so they wanted to remain friends with their furry buddies forever. This tale has moved my heart in a special way, then I wish to share the news with my readers. The love of God is revealed in so many different ways, but above all, in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

This pic is about rescued Afghan Mongrel Dogs arriving in the USA with the American Army Soldiers. The rescued dogs were taken back home to the United States by U.S. Army Soldiers who were serving in wars overseas in Afghanistan.

These dogs were their loyal companions at all times while the U.S. Army Soldiers were fighting for freedom overseas. It sounds like true loyal love!!

I want to share these awesome photos...

HAVE A BLESSED TIME!!

STARRY.

"An Example of Dog's Loyalty and True Love."

"An Example of Dog's Loyalty and True Love."

I bet you may wonder why I keep talking about animals and mother nature...

You see, I view life in a different way from many people in the world. People have failed me, animals never have. Lifetime relationships teach one lifetime lessons, things one must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. One's job is to accept the lesson, love others and put whatever one has learned to use in all other relationships and areas of life.

I wrote once, a friendship poem that begins like this...

"Some people in our lifetime come and go.

Others make us happy from head to toe.

Some folks stay for a short season,

And some others remain for a good reason.

A true friend is someone who always stays,

Like a flower blossom that becomes a rose.

No matter whether it rains or shines,

That kind of friend will leave everlasting marks

Deep in our hearts and lives.

God gives us true friends as gems and gifts,

Like a special treasure without measure.

They step into our lives marking the way

With footprints of friendship with pleasure."

I also wrote a quote that says: "I will never support a business which supports one that spills the blood of innocent living creatures to line their own greedy pockets."

It'll be hard to understand me, if you are not an animal lover.

But if you are, it'll be just great the way we could communicate with each other.

Today's post is about "HACHIKO, an example of dog's loyalty and true love."

You might have seen the Movie with Richard Gere and his Akita dog. Have you seen it?

Hachiko (November 10, 1923 - March 8, 1935), was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture, remembered for his remarkable loyaly to his owner, even many years after his owner's death. Hachiko loved his owner even more than his own life, and he became famous worlwide just because of his loyal and unconditional love, something that humans can't feel...

Some History about Hachiko: In 1924, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took Hachiko, a golden brown Akita, as a pet. During his owner's life, Hachiko greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachiko was waiting. Every day for the next 9 years the dog waited at the Shibuya Station.

Hachiko attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachiko and Professor Ueno together each day. Initial reactions from the people, especially from those working at the station, were not necessarily friendly. However, after the first appearance of the article about him on October 4, 1932 in Asahi Shimbun, people started to bring Hachiko treats and food to nourish him during his wait. This continued for 9 years with Hachiko appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

That same year, one of Ueno's students saw the dog at the station and followed him to Kobayashi home, the home of the former Professor Ueno Kobayashi, where he learned the history of Hachiko's life. Shortly after his meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachiko from Shibuya Station.

There is no doubt that pets are best buddies with loyal love for real.

The student frequently returned to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about Hachiko's remarkable loyalty. In 1932, one of these articles threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachiko became a national sensation. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachiko's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.

Eventually, Hachiko's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty.

Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, and was found on a street in Shibuya. In March 2011, Scientists settled the cause of death of Hachiko: the dog had terminal cancer and filaria infection (worms). A photograph showing a recently deceased Hachiko, mourned by Professor Ueno's widow (2nd from right) and members of the station staff in the baggage room of Shibuya Station. Hachiko's stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo. His monument is in Aoyama cemetery in Minatoku, Tokyo.

Telling you the truth, I have never experimented a greater love for me than the love of God, and the love of my dear animals. Humans have never loved me in the same way. In spite of the company of my dear cats, I still feel very lonely at times...

Have a lovely day!

Starry.