Massive Iceberg Breaks Off From Antarctica Thanks To Global Warming
NY Post- One of the biggest icebergs on record has broken away from Antarctica, scientists said Wednesday, creating an extra hazard for ships around the continent as it breaks up.
The 1 trillion-ton iceberg, measuring 5,800 square kilometers (2,239 square miles) — roughly half the size of Connecticut — calved away from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica sometime between July 10 and 12, said scientists at the University of Swansea and the British Antarctic Survey.
The iceberg has been close to breaking off for a few months. Throughout the Antarctic winter, scientists monitored the progress of the rift in the ice shelf using European Space Agency satellites.
“The iceberg is one of the largest recorded and its future progress is difficult to predict,” said Adrian Luckman, professor at Swansea University and lead investigator of Project MIDAS, which has been monitoring the ice shelf for years.
“It may remain in one piece but is more likely to break into fragments. Some of the ice may remain in the area for decades, while parts of the iceberg may drift north into warmer waters,” he added.
The ice will add to risks for ships now that it has broken off. The peninsula is outside major trade routes but the main destination for cruise ships visiting from South America.
In 2009, more than 150 passengers and crew were evacuated after the MTV Explorer sank after striking an iceberg off the Antarctic peninsula.
The iceberg, which is likely to be named A68, was already floating before it broke away, so there is no immediate impact on sea levels, but the calving has left the Larsen C ice shelf reduced in area by more than 12 percent.
Big icebergs break off Antarctica naturally, meaning scientists are not linking the rift to man-made climate change. The ice, however, is a part of the Antarctic peninsula that has warmed fast in recent decades.
“In the ensuing months and years, the ice shelf could either gradually regrow, or may suffer further calving events which may eventually lead to collapse — opinions in the scientific community are divided,” Luckman said.
“Our models say it will be less stable, but any future collapse remains years or decades away.”
A major iceberg has seceded from Antarctica to strike out on a solo career, stranding thousands of white walkers in the process. Feels strange to call it an iceberg because it’s half the size of Connecticut, but I assume the scientists know an iceberg when they see one (unlike those watchmen from James Cameron’s 1997 classic film Titanic, as well as anyone looking out for icebergs aboard the ill-fated vessel Titanic). Apparently this is big news because cruise ships that visit Antarctica will now run the risk of hitting the little berg children that break off.
Which begs the question… who is booking cruises to Antartica? I’m not a big cruise guy because of the whole risk of clogged toilets and food-borne pathogens. Much prefer to mix it up with the locals on land. But I genuinely thought the only people that traveled to Antarctica were marine biologists. Seems like a long way to go for a glimpse of something you could see just by opening your freezer.
Of course, it’s sad that humans are causing this. Maybe turn your AC to economy mode at night. Sure it’s annoying to fall asleep to the gentle hum of your AC, have it shut off, and then wake up screaming when it shudders back into gear at 2AM like a fucking tank. But the penguins and polar bears are losing land faster than the Palestinians and it’s time we did something.