A Trillion-Ton Iceberg Breaks Into the Sea

This week, a massive chunk of the Larsen C ice shelf broke free, continuing the recent multi-year trend

Within the last day or two, a trillion-ton iceberg the size of the state of Delaware (about 2300 square miles) finally broke loose from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica as has been anticipated for months now. It’s now drifting free into the Southern Ocean.

Larsen C ice shelf breaks off, creating one of the largest icebergs in history

From Inside Climate News:

“Project Midas, which gives frequent updates on the status of the shelf, recently wrote:

“This event will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula,” scientists involved in Project Midas, which studies the impact of melting on ice shelf dynamics and stability, wrote on its website. The group announced early this morning that satellite data had confirmed the break.

The break that sliced off about 10 percent of the Larsen C Ice Shelf was driven by natural processes, and it isn’t going to raise sea level on its own because the ice shelf was already floating on the water. But it can’t be viewed in isolation.

Though it will be years before scientists understand the impacts of the break, what remains of the Larsen C shelf will be drastically altered, and climate change could play a part in driving what happens next.”

See maps and read the full Guardian article on the break HERE.