A giant iceberg, which is larger than some of the largest cities like Mumbai and New York, has just broken off from the ice shelf of Antarctica. The alarming incident has been notified by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which reported that the iceberg of approximately 490 square miles detached itself from the Brunt Ice Shelf in February 2021. In comparison, Mumbai City is only 233 square miles, while New York is 302 square miles, reports Weather.com
The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom’s national Antarctic operation. It is part of the Natural Environment Research Council.
An ice shelf is a large floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface. Ice shelves are only found in Antarctica, Greenland, Northern Canada, and the Russian Arctic.
The break showcased a new chasm, named the North Rift, in the Brunt Ice Shelf. It is the third major crack discovered on this particular ice shelf in the last 10 years. As per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA, icebergs are pieces of ice that have broken off from glaciers or ice shelves and float in open water.
The Brunt Ice Shelf borders the Antarctic coast of Coats Land between Dawson-Lambton Glacier and Stancomb-Wills Glacier Tongue.
The team at BAS was actually expecting such big calving to occur as such a large ice shelf is often prone to break-offs, especially when the ice deposition is falling year-on-year.
“Our teams at BAS have been prepared for the calving of an iceberg from the Brunt Ice Shelf for years. Over [the] coming weeks or months, the iceberg may move away; or it could run aground and remain close to Brunt Ice Shelf,” said Dame Jane Francis, the director of the BAS, in a statement.
