A series of warm summers caused the massive Larsen-B ice shelf break up in 2002, scientists say.

Rising air temperaturescould have caused meltwater and rain to build up in crevasses along the ice shelf and ultimately led to a collapse, said scientists in a recent report in the journal Science, according to Reuters.

In the report, scientists wrote that "the 2002 Larsen-B Ice Shelf Collapse likely was a response to surface warming."

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Scientists monitoring satellite images of the Antarctic had never seen such quick and devastating disintegration; in just over one month, 1,250 square miles of ice fell apart, according to theNASA Earth Observatory,

Climate Central reports that the previous prevailing theory was that warm ocean waters were eating away at the bottom of ice shelf-glacier systems.

While the collapse raises questions about the integrity of Antarctica's ice-shelf systems, Larsen-B's break up provided a unique opportunity for scientists to reach a newly-accessible section of seafloorand learn about the evolution of the ice shelf, according to Climate Central.

Other major Antarctic ice-shelf break-up events include the Larsen-A collapse in 1995 and Wilkins Ice Shelf disintegration in 2008.

Geologic Oceanographer Eugene Domacktold Reutersthat the new findings could help scientists spot risks in other ice shelves. Larsen-C, which is four times the size of Larsen-B, has been showing signs of instability, Domack said.

Larsen-B Ice Shelf Collapse

January 22, 2002 (NASA)