Scientists obtain radar images from orbiting European satellites using microwave energy. But the images themselves reveal nothing, and it is only by special processing of the data that scientists can track the iceberg, Luckman said.Īs for how long the iceberg will stick around, it depends on how quickly it moves to a warmer climate, and how quickly it breaks into smaller pieces. "It's the Antarctic winter now, and lack of sunlight means that no optical satellite data is being collected," Luckman said in June. The development of the rift over the past year was monitored using data from the European Space Agency Sentinel-1 satellites, a radar-imaging system capable of acquiring images regardless of cloud cover, and throughout the current winter period of polar darkness. Unfortunately, there are no public websites allowing a live view of the iceberg or ice shelf. "We will continue to monitor both the impact of this calving event on the Larsen C ice shelf, and the fate of this huge iceberg." “We have been anticipating this event for months, and have been surprised how long it took for the rift to break through the final few kilometers (miles) of ice," Luckman said. Previously, he said the iceberg breaking off "will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula." The calving reduced the size of the ice shelf by some 12%. Some of the ice may remain in the area for decades, while parts of the iceberg may drift north into warmer waters." "The iceberg is one of the largest recorded and its future progress is difficult to predict," said Adrian Luckman, a professor of Swansea University and the lead investigator of Project MIDAS. "It may remain in one piece but is more likely to break into fragments. Now, the 120-mile crack first spotted in 2011 finally made its way back to the sea, "calving" off the massive berg. Over the past several months, an ever-lengthening and widening crack in the ice shelf captivated the world. At 2,200 square miles, the chunk of floating ice is nearly the size of Delaware. The 1 trillion ton iceberg, with twice of the volume of Lake Erie, broke off from the Larsen C ice shelf between Monday and Wednesday, according to Project MIDAS, which has been monitoring the shelf. "Our network of GPS instruments will give us early warning if the calving of this iceberg causes changes in the ice around our station.One of the largest icebergs ever recorded broke off from an ice shelf in Antarctica, British scientists announced Wednesday. Halley Station is located inland of all the active chasms, on the part of the ice shelf that remains connected to the continent," Francis said. "Over (the) coming weeks or months, the iceberg may move away or it could run aground and remain close to Brunt Ice Shelf. Icebergs naturally break off from Antarctica into the ocean, but the process has been accelerated by climate change.īAS, however, said there was "no evidence that climate change has played a significant role" in this case. While the team is away, scientists monitor the ice shelf using data from GPS instruments that are sent back to Cambridge, England, for analysis. Britain's Halley VI Research Station was moved inland four years ago for safety reason Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/British Antarctic Survey/S. The research station was uninhabited when the iceberg finally split as its 12-member team had left earlier this month ahead of the Antarctic winter. "That was a wise decision," said Simon Garrod, BAS director of operations.īritain's Halley VI Research Station, which monitors the state of the vast floating ice shelf daily, is located about 20 kilometers from where the iceberg broke off. The research station was moved inland four years ago for safety reasons. The events leading up to the major split began accelerating in November last year, BAS said in a statement. "Our teams at BAS have been prepared for the calving of an iceberg from Brunt Ice Shelf for years," said the British Antarctic Survey director Professor Dame Jane Francis. Scientists had been expecting a huge chunk of ice to break away for almost a decade after the first "vast cracks" had formed on the shelf. The iceberg measuring 1,270 square kilometers (490 square miles) came off the 150-meter-thick Brunt Ice Shelf in a process called "calving." A giant iceberg, larger than the size of most European cities, has broken away from Antarctica, near a British research station, the British Antarctic Survey said Friday.
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