Massive iceberg breaks off from Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf.
Scientists reveal that a massive piece of ice about 150 meters thick has separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), a scientific organization, informed the public on Tuesday that the iceberg was a whopping 380 square kilometers in size, which is approximately equal to the dimensions of the British Isle of Wight. This is the third time that such an event has occurred in the area within the last four years. While it's unlikely that this incident is linked to climate change, the BAS statement provided some insight into the underlying cause.
The truth is, the iceberg was waiting to happen for quite some time. A chain reaction was triggered when a 14-kilometre-long crack snowballed into being and intersected with the Halloween crack, forming a right angle. Dr. Oliver Marsh, a researcher at the BAS, was the one who spotted the calving event with the help of GPS data.
So, what is 'calving' you ask? It's the term used to describe when massive chunks of ice break off from glaciers that end in either the sea or inland waters. This particular event took place on an early Monday morning.
Ten years ago, BAS scientists had noticed large cracks in the same region. To prevent any damage to the British Halley research station, it was deliberately relocated around 20 kilometers further inland in 2016. Their monitoring process continues from November to March each year when the Antarctic region enjoys its summer months. The rest of the time, the area is kept under observation using satellite images from Esa, NASA, and TerraSAR-X.
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Source: www.ntv.de
