![]() In accordance with naming conventions, icebergs are initially designated based on the Antarctic quadrant in which they were originally sighted, a sequential number, and (in the event it breaks off) a sequential letter. While not particularly giant by Antarctic standards, it is the largest iceberg to break off from the Brunt Ice Shelf to date.īefore and after images of breakage occurring in the Brunt Ice Shelf. The isosceles-shaped iceberg (designed A-74), which measures about 1270 km 2 (490 mi 2), broke away from a region located north of the McDonald Ice Rumples, which is part of the larger Brunt Ice Shelf that borders the Weddell Sea in northwest Antarctica. According to the images it recently captured, an iceberg larger than New York City broke free and began floating out to sea. In recent years, it has been monitoring the Brunt Ice Shelf for signs of cracks and chasms. The Copernicus Sentinel mission consists of two polar-orbiting satellites that rely on C-band synthetic aperture radar imaging to conduct Earth observations in all weather conditions. Recently, the ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite witnessed a giant iceberg breaking off from Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf on February 26 th. The loss of ice around the Earth’s polar regions is one of many consequences of climate change, which is leading to rising ocean levels and various feedback mechanisms. Sources: NSIDC, BBC, Antarcticglaciers.Glaciologists have been closely monitoring ice shelves in Antarctica for signs of cracks and chasms that indicate breakups. Their goal is to analyze the shelf’s movement, deformation, and impact of recent calving. However, the BAS continues to monitor the ice shelf with the help of GPS and satellite images. The research station on the Brunt Ice Shelf is closed due to the unpredictability of ice calving in the winter. ![]() So a large calving event with an iceberg twenty times the size of Manhattan is a rare and exciting event. The region has not experienced significant climate changes that would alter the calving process. These harmful effects of climate change are a growing cause of concern for climate scientists.īut in the case of the Brunt Ice Shelf region, scientists have little reason to worry. Not only do these destroy polar habitats, but as more and more ice chunks break off and melt into the ocean, global sea levels rise. That said, rising global temperatures weaken polar ice, causing larger and more frequent calving. The process of calving itself is not unusual. Ice calving helps to balance the glacier’s extra accumulation of mass from snowfall and ice. The BAS scientists anticipated calving would occur as they could visually see the outline of the iceberg that would fall on Friday morning. ![]() The new iceberg broke off from a point of the Brunt Ice Shelf called the “North Rift” crack. The North Rift is the third major chasm on the glacier in the last decade. Sometimes, little rocky protrusions on the ground, known as pinning points, can lock the floating ice shelf - think of it like a brake that slows down the flow of the ice shelf.Ĭalving begins when cracks form in ice shelves due to strong winds, water erosion from beneath the ice shelf, or melting ice. Over time, the cracks deepen and widen, eventually leading to calving. The chunk of ice hits the water, becoming a new iceberg. The point at which ice shelves are connected to the land underneath the glacier is known as the grounding line. Ice shelves are floating tongues of ice that jut out from the glaciers. So, what is the difference between a glacier and an ice shelf? A glacier (or an ice sheet) is a mass of ice that is connected to the land. In the case of large ice shelves, such as those of Antarctica, bigger sections splinter off. Usually small, fast-flowing glaciers have small chunks that break off regularly. What Causes Calving?Ĭalving is the process of ice chunks breaking off from the end of a glacier. The idea of such a large iceberg breaking off may sound intimidating, so let’s look at the process of calving and why it happens. Thankfully, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) were expecting this split to happen, so no one was hurt. The chunk of ice drifted into the Weddell Sea on the continent’s northwest coast. On February 26, a giant 1,290 square kilometer iceberg broke away from Antarctica’s 150 meter-thick Brunt Ice Shelf.
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