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21
A Trillion-Tonne Iceberg Just Broke Away From Antarctica, And Here’s Why It Should Worry Us All
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.
RELATED:
A massive iceberg has just broken away from Antarctica, and it’s making scientists worry for the future
Image credits: Cover images
It’s estimated to weigh a trillion tonnes, and has an area of 5800 sq km, the size of a small country
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
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
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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What do you think ?
Mark Ginsel 8 years ago
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 8 years ago
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 
Martin M 8 years ago
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 8 years ago
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...
lazy panda 8 years ago
Okay, not even the scientists know what caused the split so how about we keep the global warming s**t to a minimum until we have a legitimate answer, kay?
John L 8 years ago
It isn't going to happen. There have been and will be billions of dollars at stake here. That's what this is all about anyway: Money, and yes Power. The more all this warming is debunked, the louder the ones on the receiving end of the gravy train will scream and predict the end of the planet. Here's what's really going on. The Scientific Method has been changed to another Method. We need to get back to Real Science and keep government from being one huge boob for others to suck on. The-Scient...57-png.jpg 
Jennifer Pierce-Merriott 8 years ago
On a lighter note none of you seem to think that the Earth is flat so I'm still hopeful
Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
I large glaciers calve, do medium glaciers puppy and small glaciers kitten?
Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
Why doesn't Bored Panda allow us to edit our posts?
Load More Replies...
Gerard Van der Leun 8 years ago
The good news is you'll all be around in decades. The bad news is you will know then what horseshit you believed now.
Giovanni Pipicella Luciana DiMari 8 years ago
Please! Get back to me with the exact position of the Titanic at this moment ASAP!
Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
“drift into the Atlantic Ocean and melt, which could raise the global water mark by 10 centimeters” Actually any glaciers that go into the ocean would cause the water to rise regardless of whether they melt. Didn't you ever put an ice cube in a glass of water and notice that the water level rose?
Jilltdcatlady 8 years ago
I'm having trouble with the level of water rising. While a cube of ice added to water makes it rise it doesn't change once it melts. My question is thus : the ice was already pushed to the edge of a landmass, and in the ocean, so how is it's melting affecting the water level? Isn't the water displacement the same?
Load More Replies...
Mark Ginsel 8 years ago
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 8 years ago
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
Martin M 8 years ago
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 8 years ago
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... lazy panda 8 years ago
Okay, not even the scientists know what caused the split so how about we keep the global warming s**t to a minimum until we have a legitimate answer, kay?
John L 8 years ago
It isn't going to happen. There have been and will be billions of dollars at stake here. That's what this is all about anyway: Money, and yes Power. The more all this warming is debunked, the louder the ones on the receiving end of the gravy train will scream and predict the end of the planet. Here's what's really going on. The Scientific Method has been changed to another Method. We need to get back to Real Science and keep government from being one huge boob for others to suck on. The-Scient...57-png.jpg
Jennifer Pierce-Merriott 8 years ago
On a lighter note none of you seem to think that the Earth is flat so I'm still hopeful
Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
I large glaciers calve, do medium glaciers puppy and small glaciers kitten?
Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
Why doesn't Bored Panda allow us to edit our posts?
Load More Replies... Gerard Van der Leun 8 years ago
The good news is you'll all be around in decades. The bad news is you will know then what horseshit you believed now.
Giovanni Pipicella Luciana DiMari 8 years ago
Please! Get back to me with the exact position of the Titanic at this moment ASAP!
Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
“drift into the Atlantic Ocean and melt, which could raise the global water mark by 10 centimeters” Actually any glaciers that go into the ocean would cause the water to rise regardless of whether they melt. Didn't you ever put an ice cube in a glass of water and notice that the water level rose?
Jilltdcatlady 8 years ago
I'm having trouble with the level of water rising. While a cube of ice added to water makes it rise it doesn't change once it melts. My question is thus : the ice was already pushed to the edge of a landmass, and in the ocean, so how is it's melting affecting the water level? Isn't the water displacement the same?
Load More Replies... 
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