[ad_1]
The giant A-68a iceberg adrift in the South Atlantic is splitting into large chunks, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center said in a statement. Last week the A-68d, which is about 144 square kilometers, had already been fragmented and created. Now two new pieces appear: the A-68e with 655 square kilometers; and the A-68f with 225 square kilometers.
The A-68 iceberg broke away from the Larsen C shelf in West Antarctica in July 2017 and slowly traveled out into the open ocean. At the time, it was about 5,800 square kilometers, but three years later it was “only” 3,900 square kilometers and was threatening to collide with South Georgia, potentially endangering its wildlife.
After the fragmentation of this iceberg was identified last week and the appearance of the A-68d, there are new developments. On Tuesday, satellite data Sentinel-1 The Copernicus program of the European Commission and the European Space Agency showed that there are two more fragments that broke away from the iceberg, the A-68e and the A-68f. Some time ago, the A68b and A68c had separated from this iceberg. Now the A-68a (what’s left of the original iceberg) will still be 2,600 square kilometers, according to calculations by Laura Gerrish of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), responsible for UK affairs in Antarctica.
Iceberg shards
THAT
“Almost three and a half years after separating from the Larsen C platform, the A68a iceberg, the fourth largest on record, is finally starting to disintegrate,” he said. site Adrian Luckman of the BBC, a glaciologist at the University of Swansea, UK.
And what will happen next? Although smaller, the A-68a remains on the South Georgia Island collision course and could be a hindrance to its wildlife. One of the concerns has been the large penguin population on the island. If the iceberg can stick to the flank of the island and stay there for ten years, it could block the penguins from entering the water and prevent them from feeding their children.
Soon we will have more information about this still giant iceberg. Next month, a BAS-led science mission will head to South Georgia to study this block of ice. In this mission, underwater robotic vehicles and sampling instruments will be used to understand how the mass of the iceberg influences the surrounding environment.
