‘Enormous’ iceberg over 2x the size of Toronto breaks off from Antarctica
Global News
The approximately 1,550 square kilometre iceberg had been 'desperately clinging on' for several years, experts say.
British and European scientists have confirmed that a massive iceberg, estimated to be 1,550 square kilometres in area and 150 metres in thickness, has broken off from Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf after “several years of desperately clinging on.”
In comparison, the city of Toronto covers 630 square km.
The European Space Agency (ESA) explained that the “enormous” iceberg was formed when “the crack known as Chasm-1 fully extended northwards severing the west part of the ice shelf.” They confirmed with satellite imagery that the new berg had finally split off.
After being “dormant for some decades,” Chasm-1 began to grow again in early 2012. Since then, scientists have been monitoring the crack, waiting for the day when it would finally sever a new iceberg off the shelf. The calving event is not a result of climate change, experts said.
BAS glaciologist Dominic Hodgson said, “This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behaviour of the Brunt Ice Shelf. It is not linked to climate change. Our science and operational teams continue to monitor the ice shelf in real-time to ensure it is safe.”
The new iceberg will likely be named A-81, in accordance with iceberg naming conventions, though an official name has yet to be chosen. A smaller iceberg that broke off to the north will likely be called either A-81A or A-82.
Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado, told the Washington Post that the berg “is a huge mass of ice, about 500 billion tons,” but it isn’t the largest iceberg ever recorded. That one “rivalled Long Island,” he said.
According to the ESA, the largest iceberg in the world, called A-76, is around 4,320 square km.