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A Trillion-Tonne Iceberg Just Broke Away From Antarctica, And Here’s Why It Should Worry Us All
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A Trillion-Tonne Iceberg Just Broke Away From Antarctica, And Here’s Why It Should Worry Us All

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Despite a recent trend of disbelief toward global warming, Mother Nature has just made herself clear. A giant, trillion-tonne iceberg has just broken away from Antarctic ice shelf, and it’s an alarm we should all be heeding.

The iceberg, which has an area of roughly 4 times the size of London at 5800 km2, was part of an ice sheet known as Larsen C. Researchers at Swansea University had been watching the glacial divide for months, and using satellite imaging, they were able to determine that the iceberg ‘calved’ (broke away) from Antarctica sometime between July 10th and 12th. Hold on to your Titanic jokes for just a few more minutes, because this is actually the sign of a problem even larger than the berg itself.

Due to the rapid rising of temperatures in West Antarctica, ice shelves are becoming more fragile than ever. Not only does this massive iceberg pose a security risk to maritime traffic, its separation could cause glaciers stabilized by Larsen C to drift into the Atlantic Ocean and melt, which could raise the global water mark by 10 centimeters. The decimation of polar regions also threatens their native species, such as emperor penguins.

See it for yourself below, and read this essay by Adrian Luckman, Swansea University Professor of Glaciology and Remote Sensing.

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    Image credits: Cover images

    Image credits: Daily Mail

    The iceberg detached from the West Antarctic ice shelf Larsen C, which could now become highly unstable

    Image credits: John Sonntag

    Researchers at Swanlea University had been watching the glacial divide for months using satellite imagery

    Image credits: Nasa

    Though it may be too early to tell, this fracture in the polar landscape could be the product of global warming

    Image credits: British Antartic Survey

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    Antarctic temperatures are rising rapidly, causing ice sheets to break apart and drift into the Atlantic Ocean

    Image credits: British Antartic Survey

    That rogue ice disrupts maritime safety, then melts, causing water levels all around the world to rise

    Image credits: British Antartic Survey

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    Polar animal species, like emperor penguins, are also threatened by the slow decimation of their habitats

    Image credits: British Antartic Survey

    This giant iceberg will now be monitored intensely, as will the resulting fragility of the glaciers it left behind

    Image credits: British Antartic Survey

    Watch this informative video by the British Antarctic Survey to learn more:

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    Stella

    Stella

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    Stella

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    This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

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    Mark Ginsel
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm as concerned about the climate as any sane person should be, but in this instance I feel it's prudent to add~“The calving event has the appearance of being a completely normal break of the ice shelf,” Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the Colorado-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News.

    John L
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, this occurs on a normal basis. As ice builds up on the mainland, it moves outward because of a little thing called "gravity". Same thing happens in Greenland. As the shelf grows, and spreads out, the older ice will tend to break off the further it extends outward over the water. We are currently in the middle of a major ice age(Pleistocene), and in the tail end of one of its Inter-Glacial periods(Holocene). We could suddenly begin entering the next round of glaciation, any time ahead. That's the Real Climate Change we should be worried about. About all this 'Global Warming' issue, one time honored saying should be considered: Follow The Money. GISP2-Ice-...dd0a6e.jpg GISP2-Ice-Core-Temperature-Reconstruction-for-Central-Greenland-5966d4bdd0a6e.jpg

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    Martin M
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is a natural event you fearmongering fools. Global warming may have accelerated the pace of this to happen but it would've happened anyway...

    Sonya Bamboo
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Really dude I think you should be more concerned. Yeah it was always gonna happen but the faster it goes the more damage it'll cause to our one and only earth. So I think it's a good thing to worry so that we know what's happening so we can make a change to help our world in our daily lives.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Mark Ginsel
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm as concerned about the climate as any sane person should be, but in this instance I feel it's prudent to add~“The calving event has the appearance of being a completely normal break of the ice shelf,” Ted Scambos, lead scientist at the Colorado-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News.

    John L
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, this occurs on a normal basis. As ice builds up on the mainland, it moves outward because of a little thing called "gravity". Same thing happens in Greenland. As the shelf grows, and spreads out, the older ice will tend to break off the further it extends outward over the water. We are currently in the middle of a major ice age(Pleistocene), and in the tail end of one of its Inter-Glacial periods(Holocene). We could suddenly begin entering the next round of glaciation, any time ahead. That's the Real Climate Change we should be worried about. About all this 'Global Warming' issue, one time honored saying should be considered: Follow The Money. GISP2-Ice-...dd0a6e.jpg GISP2-Ice-Core-Temperature-Reconstruction-for-Central-Greenland-5966d4bdd0a6e.jpg

    Load More Replies...
    Martin M
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is a natural event you fearmongering fools. Global warming may have accelerated the pace of this to happen but it would've happened anyway...

    Sonya Bamboo
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Really dude I think you should be more concerned. Yeah it was always gonna happen but the faster it goes the more damage it'll cause to our one and only earth. So I think it's a good thing to worry so that we know what's happening so we can make a change to help our world in our daily lives.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
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