The chunk of iceberg the size of London separates from the Brunt Ice Shelf on January 24, 2023.
While this foreboding landscape may look monotonous, it is subject to change just like any place on Earth.
Scientists have noted that icecaps on both poles aresufferingdue to the climate crisis.
The chunk of iceberg the size of London separates from the Brunt Ice Shelf on January 24, 2023. (Photo:NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview and Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey)
Calving is the process by which icebergs break from the ice shelf.
This is a form of regulation by the ice sheet.
As glaciers on land accumulate snow and ice, they push on the ice sheets over the water.
On January 12, 2021 before the split. (Photo:NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview and Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey)
Icebergs on the edges break off to float on its own naturally to maintain an equilibrium.
The chunk which broke off is known as A-81.
The break itself occurred on late January 22, 2023.
The Brunt Ice Shelf in 2011. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Thankfully, the separation has not stranded the researchers at the nearby British Antarctic Surveys Halley Research Station.
Much remains to be learned about the new floating iceberg.
Scientists continue to track these patterns in the hopes of better understanding this fascinating ice.
On January 12, 2021 before the split.
The Brunt Ice Shelf in 2011.
