Icebergs form when hunks of ice break off from ice shelves or glaciers and begin to float in open water. “How long this will take and how much the iceberg will fragment before reaching the island, as well as the exact trajectory are hard to predict, though,” she said. But it broke apart before it could cause any damage to the abundant wildlife in the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia.Īnne Braakmann-Folgmann, a researcher in iceberg motion at the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds University, said it was likely A-76 would follow the trajectory of A-68 towards South Georgia. Last year the berg, by then known as A-68a after a piece snapped off, appeared to be on a collision course with a remote South Atlantic island home to thousands of penguins and seals, threatening to impede their ability to gather food.
#Iceberg breaks off crack
The monstrous A-68 iceberg calved in 2017 from the Larsen ice shelf, which has warmed faster than any other part of Earth’s southernmost continent.Īt 5,800 km2, 350 meters thick and weighing a trillion tons A-68 was one of the largest icebergs ever seen. An Iceberg the Size of Delaware Just Broke Away From Antarctica A crack more than 120 miles long had developed over several years in a floating ice shelf called Larsen C, and scientists who have. It may be a giant, but A-76 is by no means the largest iceberg in recent years. It joins previous world’s largest title holder A-23A - approximately 3,880 sq km in size - which has remained in the same area since 1986.Ī-76 was originally spotted by the British Antarctic Survey and the calving - the term used when an iceberg breaks off - was confirmed using images from the Copernicus satellite, the European Space Agency said. The iceberg, measuring around 170 kilometres (105 miles) long and 25 kilometres wide, with an area of 4,320 square kilometres is now floating in the Weddell Sea. Slightly larger than the Spanish island of Majorca, A-76 had been monitored by scientists since May 13 when it began to separate from the Ronne Ice Shelf, according to the US National Ice Center.
#Iceberg breaks off series
It is the latest in a series of large ice blocks to dislodge in a region acutely vulnerable to climate change, although scientists said in this case it appeared to be part of a natural polar cycle. The iceberg, known as A68a, had also broken off from the Larsen Ice Shelf, which has warmed faster than any other part of Earth's southern most continent.Ī68a, which was 160 kilometres long and 48 kilometres across, broke up before it could cause any damage to the abundant wildlife in the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia.Įarth's average surface temperature has gone up by one degree Celsius since the 19th century, enough to increase the intensity of droughts, heat waves and tropical cyclones.īut the air over Antarctica has warmed more than twice that much.PARIS: A huge ice block has broken off from western Antarctica into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest iceberg in the world and earning the name A-76. In November last year, what was then the world's largest iceberg appeared to be on a collision course with a remote South Atlantic island home to thousands of penguins and seals, threatening to impede their ability to gather food. The event was not unexpected, since researchers who have been monitoring cracks in the shelf noticed a new chasm.
On Feb 26, 2021, the JPSS polar satellites watched a city-sized chunk of ice break off (calve) from the northern section of Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf as seen by the Snow RGB product. The iceberg is shaped like a giant ironing board. It takes the place as the world's largest from the A-23A iceberg - approximately 3,880 sq km in size - which is also in the Weddell Sea. Large Iceberg Breaks Off from Antarctica. The iceberg broke off the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, the European Space Agency (ESA) said Wednesday. The berg, which broke off the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf, was originally spotted by the British Antarctic Survey and confirmed using images from the Copernicus satellite. The iceberg is around 170 kilometres (105 miles) long and 25 kilometres wide, with an area of 4,320 square kilometres, slightly larger than the Spanish island of Majorca. Called A-76 and roughly the shape of Manhattan but more than 70 times bigger, it was picked up on satellite images and is "currently the largest berg in the world", the ESA said Wednesday.
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