Canada Secedes from North America...

...well, parts of it are.

Giant Ice Shelf Snaps Free Near North Pole
By ROB GILLIES, AP

TORONTO (Dec. 29) - A giant ice shelf has snapped free from an island south of the North Pole, scientists said Thursday, citing climate change as a "major" reason for the event.

The ice shelf, at center of the satellite photo, was one of six major shelves remaining in Canada's Arctic. They are packed with ice that is more than 3,000 years old.

The Ayles Ice Shelf - all 41 square miles of it - broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 500 miles south of the North Pole in the Canadian Arctic.

Scientists discovered the event by using satellite imagery. Within one hour of breaking free, the shelf had formed as a new ice island, leaving a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake.

Warwick Vincent of Laval University, who studies Arctic conditions, traveled to the newly formed ice island and couldn't believe what he saw.

"This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years," Vincent said. "We are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead."

(more of the story and photos here.


For perspective,


This is a black and white aerial photo of the largest known
iceberg in the North Atlantic. The iceberg is tabular in
shape and dwarfs the 300 foot Coast Guard cutter to its right.


More about historic icebergs Here.


For comparison, the Canadian shelf's ice island measured at 41 miles, the iceberg above is a few times larger than the 300 ft ship.

That's a huge ice cube in Santa's backyard.