Antarctica iceberg breaking off effects11/30/2023 ![]() ![]() Here, it experienced little in the way of melting. Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2021), processed by ESA Antarctic Iceberg Tracking Databaseįor the first two years of its life, A-68A stayed in the cold waters of the Weddell Sea close to its parent ice shelf. The map also includes historic iceberg tracks, based on data from a number of satellites including ESA’s ERS-1 and ERS-2 as part of the Antarctic Iceberg Tracking Database. The map shows the different positions of the berg over the course of its three-year journey. In April 2020, A-68A lost another chunk subsequently called A-68C. It lost a chunk of ice almost immediately after being calved, resulting in the larger berg being renamed A-68A, and its offspring became A-68B. When A-68 was spawned, it had a surface area of more than twice the size of Luxemburg – one of the largest icebergs on record. ![]() However, the downside is that it released a colossal 152 billion tonnes of freshwater close to the island, potentially having a profound effect on the island’s marine life. Using measurements from satellites, scientists have charted how A-68A shrunk towards the end of its voyage, which fortunately prevented it from getting stuck. This would not only cause damage to the seafloor ecosystem but also make it difficult for island wildlife, such as penguins, to make their way to the sea to feed. Concerns were that the berg would run aground in the shallow waters offshore. Three and a half years later, the main part of iceberg, A-68A, drifted worryingly close to South Georgia. In July 2017, a giant iceberg, named A-68, snapped off Antarctica’s Larsen-C ice shelf and began an epic journey across the Southern Ocean. This story was first published on CNN.A-68A’s position on December 17, 2020. Then it suddenly plunged in 2016 and has stayed lower than average since. Satellite data that stretches back to 1978 shows that the region was still producing record-high sea ice extent as recently as 20. “There’s a link between what’s going on in Antarctica and the general warming trend around the rest of the world, but it’s different from what we see in mountain glaciers and what we see in the Arctic,” Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado Boulder and lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, previously told CNN. Unlike the Arctic, where scientists say climate change is accelerating its impacts, Antarctica’s sea ice extent is highly variable. Recent data shows the sea ice has not since recovered, suggesting the continent could end the summer with a new record on the books for the second year in a row.Īntarctica has experienced a roller-coaster of sea ice extent over the past couple of decades, swinging wildly from record highs to record lows. ![]() Strong winds have also hastened the sea ice decline, they reported. Researchers at the data center say the low sea ice has been due in part to a large band of warmer-than-normal air temperatures, which climbed to 2 degrees Celsius above average over the Ross Sea in November and December. “While the decline in Antarctic sea ice extent is always steep at this time of year, it has been unusually rapid this year,” scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported in early January, “and at the end of December, Antarctic sea ice extent stood at the lowest in the 45-year satellite record.” The calving comes amid record-low sea ice extent in Antarctica, where it is summer. Our science and operational teams continue to monitor the ice shelf in real-time to ensure it is safe, and to maintain the delivery of the science we undertake at Halley,” Professor Dominic Hodgson a BAS glaciologist said in a news release. ![]() “This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behavior of the Brunt Ice Shelf. The researchers say this event was expected and not a result of climate change. The iceberg is around 600 square miles, or 1550 square kilometers. The BAS Halley Research Station is located on the Brunt Ice Shelf and glaciologists say the research station is safe. Scientists first discovered significant cracks in the ice shelf a decade ago, but in the last two years there have been two major breaks. (CNN) - An iceberg nearly the size of Greater London broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica on Sunday according to the British Antarctic Survey. ![]()
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