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| Several ice shelves have cracked up around northern parts of Antarctica in recent years. (Supplied: NASA) |
A vast iceberg, expected to be one of the biggest ever
recorded with an area almost the size of the US state of Delaware or the
Caribbean island state of Trinidad and Tobago, is poised to break off
Antarctica.
A rift, slowly developing across the Larsen C ice
shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula in recent years, expanded abruptly last
month, growing by about 18 kilometres.It is now more than 80 kilometres long with just 20 kilometres left before it snaps, scientists said.
"The Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica is primed to shed an area of more than 5,000 square kilometres following further substantial rift growth," scientists at Project Midas at the University of Swansea in Wales said in a statement.
The iceberg "will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula" and could herald a wider break-up of the Larsen C ice shelf, the statement said.
Scientists on NASA's IceBridge mission photographed the massive rift on Larson C in November last year.
Iceberg break up 'imminent', scientist says (ABC News)
Ice shelves are areas of ice floating on the sea, several hundred metres thick, at the end of glaciers.
Scientists fear the loss of ice shelves around the frozen continent will allow glaciers inland to slide faster towards the sea as temperatures rise because of global warming, raising world sea levels.
Several ice shelves have cracked up around northern parts of Antarctica in recent years, including the Larsen B that disintegrated in 2002.
Links
- Huge ice fracture could create one of Antarctica's biggest icebergs ever in coming months, scientists warn
- Huge Antarctic iceberg poised to break away
- Vast iceberg poised to crack off Antarctica: scientists
- Giant iceberg poised to break off from Antarctic shelf
- Iceberg Size Of Delaware Poised To Break Off From Antarctica
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