WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — NASA ne Antarctica ke aik jazire ki satellite tasweerein jari ki hain, jis ki barf aur chattanein mil kar side se daant nikalti hui khopri jaisi dikhai deti hain, aur aik glaciologist ka kehna hai ke ghair mamooli taur par garm sardi ke mausam ne use pighlne ke liye khula chhor diya hai.
Yeh "khopri" Vega Island par hai, jo Weddell Sea mein mashriqi Antarctic Peninsula ke qareeb waqe hai, aur qareeb hi Devil Island ki taraf dekh rahi hai. Nunatak, yaani barf se bahar nikli hui chattani chotti, aankh ka gaddha banata hai. Lateral moraine, yaani glacier ke saath chhore gaye malbe ki ubhri hui patti, munh banati hai, aur Bahía del Diablo, ya Devil’s Bay, Glacier jabre ki haddi banata hai.
NASA ke Landsat 9 satellite ne jazire ki tasweer 22 March 2025 ko aur phir 10 October 2026 ko li. Pehli tasweer mein barf par snow ki tah chhai hui hai, jo is khitte ke sab se bheege maheene ki aam pehchan hai. Doosri tasweer mein bare ilaqon se snow ghayab hai aur zyada gehre rang ki barf jhalakti hai.
Nichols College ke glaciologist Mauri Pelto ne kaha ke 2026 ki sardiyon mein, khaas taur par June mein, ausat se zyada darja-e-hararat is ki kuch had tak wajah tha. Unhon ne kaha ke khuli hui barf se zahir hota hai ke sardiyon mein taza snow mehdood giri, jo sublimation aur hawa se mazeed kam ho gayi. "Sardi ka mausam in glaciers ke liye khushgawar nahin tha."
Khuli barf snow se zyada gehri hoti hai aur sooraj ki tawanai ka zyada hissa jazb karti hai, is liye jaise jaise din lambe aur garm hote jayenge, pighlne ka amal tez hone wala hai. "Bahar ke mausam ke toofan se girne wali taza snow ki aik patli tah bhi qareeb ki muddat mein madadgar hogi," Pelto ne kaha. "Jab khopri snow aur barf mein dabi hoti hai toh mehfooz rehti hai. Lekin jab woh pighlne ke amal ke samne aati hai toh mausami asraat se ghis jati hai, jis ke nateeje mein jabre ki lakeer badlegi aur aankh ka gaddha phailega."
Scientists ne kai dahaiyon se jazire ki barf par nazar rakhi hui hai. Landsat ki ibtidai tasaweer istemal karne wali 1982 ki aik study mein Vega par 29 glaciers darj kiye gaye, aur researchers ne 1998-1999 ki garmiyon se Devil’s Bay Glacier ke mass mein hone wali kul kami napi hai. Haliya satellite tasaweer se jazire ke doosre glaciers mein bhi barf ke nuqsan ka pata chalta hai.
Jazire ko Antarctic ki khoj ki tareekh mein bhi aik maqam hasil hai. 1903 ki bahar mein, Swedish Antarctic Expedition ke do phanse hue giroh, jin ka jahaz pack ice ki nazar ho gaya tha, khopri ke "mathe" ke qareeb aik maqam par aik doosre se dobara mil gaye, jo Cape Well-met ke naam se jana gaya. Aik Argentine expedition ne kuch hi der baad bachne walon ko bacha liya.
