NASA scientists say the Larsen B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula is due to disintegrate inevitably and is only living out its last days.

According to the Washington Post, the new study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, is the latest of a series spelling bad omens for the peninsula. The Larsen C ice shelf was recently discovered to have an ever-growing rift posing "imminent" danger.

"These are warning signs that the remnant is disintegrating," study lead author Ala Khazendar, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a press release. "Although it's fascinating scientifically to have a front-row seat to watch the ice shelf becoming unstable and breaking up, it's bad news for our planet. This ice shelf has existed for at least 10,000 years, and soon it will be gone."

WATCH NASA's video: Larsen B's "Final Act."

The space agency is raising concern over this inevitable ice shelf loss because it will likely contribute to a rise in the global sea level.

"This study of the Antarctic Peninsula glaciers provides insights about how ice shelves farther south, which hold much more land ice, will react to a warming climate," study co-author Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at the JPL, said in the release.

Scientists noticed a chunk about the size of Rhode Island disappear from the Larsen B ice shelf in 2002. The ice shelf is currently about 625 square miles and 1,640 feet thick.

"What is really surprising about Larsen B is how quickly the changes are taking place," Khazendar said. "Change has been relentless."