Iceberg the Size of Delaware Breaks Off From Antarctica
A couple of months ago, we did a post where we discussed the diminishing rate of the Arctic Sea Ice. Its reasons were clearly traced back to Global Warming & Greenhouse effect. This time round though, the news is coming in from the South Pole. AND ITS MASSIVE. Apparently an iceberg the size of Delaware has broken off in Antarctica from the Larsen C Ice Shelf.
BUILD UP TO THE BREAKAWAY:
The iceberg which had been cutting away from the Ice shelf for months finally did break away between July 10th & 12th. And while icebergs break away regularly, what makes this one unique is its sheer size. Weighing up to a trillion tons and measuring 5800 square kilometers, this chunk of ice was responsible for 12% of the area of Larsen C Ice shelf. For those of you who are wondering what exactly the Larsen C Ice shelf is, its the name given to a huge chunk of Ice on the Antarctic Continent. It is the 4th largest Ice shelf of the continent. Larsen A & Larsen B on the other hand had both collapsed into the ocean in 1995 and 2002 respectively. The break away of this iceberg could furthermore mean that the same fate is to follow for Larsen C.
That’s because the event of an iceberg breaking away is not as significant as its after effects. Icebergs at the end of glaciers end up absorbing the melting of the mammoth glaciers behind them. This means that their break away results in the glaciers melting straight into the ocean at a much faster rate.
As the future of this iceberg is concerned, Scientists have predicted that it could stay intact while afloat in the ocean. It could however pose dangers for ships travelling across South America. For everyone sailing at the bottom end of the world therefore, may we say: Safe Journey. There is an entire state floating around in the waters now.