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October 7, 2008 1:30:52 AM CDT

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Massive Ice Island Finds Itself in a Jam

Posted Sep 2, 07 9:00 AM CDT in Science & Health,  World 

(Newser) – An ice island that became a global warming icon when it separated from the Canadian Arctic mainland is now caught in a remote channel—and scientists believe it's stuck there indefinitely. The Ayles Ice Island, born two years ago and slightly larger than Manhattan, had been moving rapidly and was considered a threat to oil and gas installations off Alaska, the BBC reports.

The latest development is good news. The island “is out of the danger area” and “likely to stay stuck" in the Sverdrup Channel, an inlet in the Canadian High Arctic, said a scientist. A team touched down on the 10-mile by 3-mile island this May to study it. A beacon they planted to track its position has since stopped working.

Source BBC

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TO GO WITH AFP STORY-CANADA-US-ARTIQUE   (Getty Images)
ice   (Getty Images)
in the Beaufort Sea   (Associated Press)
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