1550 square kilometers in size
It’s about the size of London: Huge iceberg broken off in Antarctica
Aerial view of the broken iceberg in Antarctica
© Ian Potten/DPA
A massive iceberg has broken off in Antarctica. According to experts, it is about the size of London. However, the event is not related to climate change.
A huge iceberg has broken off in Antarctica. The approximately 1,550 square kilometers – almost the size of the city of London and its outskirts – large block of ice broke off last Sunday during a spring tide from the so-called Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica, said the polar research organization British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
“We expected this splitting, it’s part of the natural behavior of the Brunt Ice Shelf. It’s not related to climate change,” BAS glaciologist Dominic Hodgson said in a statement. On the other hand, researchers linked the break-off of an approximately 1,200-square-kilometer iceberg last year with global warming, since the melting of the sea ice has accelerated significantly due to higher temperatures.
The fissure in the ice sheet, which even had a name with “Chasm-1”, was discovered by researchers years ago. Over the years it increased in size until the chunk of ice broke away.
Giant iceberg in Antarctica to be given a name
The British Antarctic Society operates a research station on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. As a precautionary measure, this was moved a good 20 kilometers further inland in 2016 so that it would not be endangered in the event of demolitions such as those recently observed. Glacier researchers are on site from November to March – the Antarctic summer. In the remaining months, the region will be observed using satellite images from the space organizations Esa, Nasa and the German satellite “TerraSAR-X”.
The giant iceberg, which is now expected to drift along the Antarctic coastal current like its predecessor, is yet to be named by the US National Ice Center. The British glacier researchers want to continue to monitor the Brocken. The Brunt Ice Shelf is the most closely monitored ice shelf on Earth, according to the British Antarctic Survey.
See the video: In February, a huge iceberg broke off the ice shelf in Antarctica. The “Polarstern” was the only research vessel nearby. The scientists took the opportunity for unique investigations.