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Giant iceberg splits from Antarctic


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One of the biggest icebergs ever recorded has just broken away from Antarctica.

The giant block is estimated to cover an area of roughly 6,000 sq km; that's about a quarter the size of Wales.

An US satellite observed the berg on Wednesday while passing over a region known as the Larsen C Ice Shelf.

Scientists were expecting it. They'd been following the development of a large crack in Larsen's ice for more than a decade.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40321674

Previous thread:

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/302464-enormous-iceberg-close-to-breaking-away/

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Yes I read that....very worrying isn't it!?  I wonder what the repercussions will be.  :unsure2:

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There will be no repercussions. It is just a giant ice cube that will eventually drift into warmer water and melt like ice in a glass. In the opening statement it says "One of the largest icebergs in recorded history" There have been others and bigger ones. Ice has absolutely no effect on the ocean levels. The entire north polar ice could melt and not raise the ocean levels an inch. 

Test it yourself. Put a big chunk of ice in a bowl then fill it with water right to the top. Watch the water level as the ice melts. It doesn't change as long as the ice was floating when it started. 

Only ice that is on land or in extremely shallow waters and sitting on bottom would effect the sea levels if they melted. Any ships crew that couldn't see an iceberg the size of Delaware would also be endangered by islands like New Zealand and Australia. 

Very cool story but not one of serious concern of endangerment to human interests. 

Actually they ought to break off a big piece and take it to someplace that has a fresh water shortage. 

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Well I hope there aren't any "unsinkable" boats in the area.  One Titanic was enough!  We down need a companion movie.

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6 hours ago, DanL said:

There will be no repercussions. It is just a giant ice cube that will eventually drift into warmer water and melt like ice in a glass. In the opening statement it says "One of the largest icebergs in recorded history" There have been others and bigger ones. Ice has absolutely no effect on the ocean levels. The entire north polar ice could melt and not raise the ocean levels an inch. 

Test it yourself. Put a big chunk of ice in a bowl then fill it with water right to the top. Watch the water level as the ice melts. It doesn't change as long as the ice was floating when it started.

Although I basically agree with you DanL, that's not entirely what's happening here.  I'm not a doomsayer here as I don't believe there is conclusive scientific evidence to support AGW but ice shelves do hold back and reduce the flow of glaciers into ocean waters and glaciers "can" contribute to ocean levels.  And although the melting of arctic sea ice would not contribute to a rise in ocean levels as you suggest, increases in Antarctic glacial flow of ice directly into oceans through floating ice shelves may potentially cause sea level rises if it is faster than the natural cycle of water from oceans up into the atmosphere and back down on land masses.  Of course, these are not new processes on Earth and glaciers feeding ice into ice selves doesn't necessarily mean that new ice shelf ice coming from glaciers will not re-establish back pressure on the glacial ice flow thus keeping the system in balance.  So is it anything to worry about?  Probably not.  It is a quite impressive spectacle though.

Edited by Noxasa
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Calving is a normal part of any healthy glacier. The problems from them come not when they are calving rather when they stop growing and just start melting. Normal healthy glaciers make no real change in water levels as long as they flow and grow at a consistent rate. It is basically the same a=s rain running down hill only done in slow motion. The problems start when they either start melting faster than they are flowing or conversly when they start growing faster then they are flowing. The melting, if it lasts for a long time will cause ocean levels to rise. When they grow faster than they flow the glaciers get thicker and hold more water and will cause the sea levels to fall. If this goes on long enough it is called an ice age. Now, all that said, the flow of glaciers changes in response to climate and is a year by year sort of thing. There always have been fluctuations and this world has experienced both warmer and colder periods. These were always just a natural part of nature until the current

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Giant cracks are still spreading in an Antarctic ice shelf where a trillion ton iceberg broke free, satellite images reveal

    Scientists have released satellite footage of the moment the Antarctic Peninsula lost 10 per cent of its area
    A rift has grown between the mainland and the mass of frozen water which smaller chunks have broken off
    A cluster of over 11 icebergs have also now formed the largest of which is over eight miles (13km) long
    In a journal article today they argue that calving events are not necessarily due to environmental changes


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4752610/Trillion-ton-iceberg-drifts-Larsen-C-ice-shelf.html#ixzz4oeepYfFr


 

 

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