A huge iceberg has detached itself from the mainland in Antarctica. As the researchers from the British Antarctic Survey reported on Monday, the approximately 1,550 square kilometer iceberg named Chasm-1 broke off on Sunday evening during a flood. The incident is not related to climate change, the scientists said.
Two years ago, a giant iceberg of a similar size broke off in the same region, the Brunt Ice Shelf. The British research station Halley VI is located on the ice shelf, from which glaciologists have been observing the expansion of huge cracks in the ice for years.
The formation of icebergs is a natural process, which, however, can be accelerated considerably by global warming. Since the 19th century, the Earth’s surface temperature has warmed an average of one degree – enough to cause droughts, heat waves and tropical storms.
Global warming is being felt strongly in Antarctica. Like many places on the planet, record temperatures were recorded in the region last year. In February 2022, the smallest extent of ice in Antarctica since satellite observations began 44 years ago was recorded.
The ice sheets on Greenland and West Antarctica contain enough frozen water to raise ocean levels by a dozen meters. Many coastal towns and entire islands would become uninhabitable as a result.
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