Giant Iceberg Breaks Off from Antarctic Brunt Ice Shelf
On May 26, TapTechNews reported that according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, on May 20, 2024, a giant iceberg with an area of about 380 square kilometers broke off from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. TapTechNews noted that this is the third major iceberg calving event in this area within four years. Previously, icebergs with the code names A-74 and A-81 broke off from the ice shelf in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
This event was recorded by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite of the European Space Agency and the Landsat 8 satellite of NASA. Among them, Sentinel-1 can obtain all-weather images by relying on radar imaging and can penetrate the limitations of the polar day and night; while Landsat 8 uses thermal imaging to help scientists judge the thickness of the ice layer. By comparing the temperature difference between the ice layer and the sea water, scientists can identify potential calving lines.
Scientists pointed out that this iceberg calving (as well as previous events) may be related to the weakening of the ice layer in the McDonald Ice Rumples area and the extension of the Halloween crack to the ice shelf.
Fortunately, the iceberg that fell off this time did not pose a threat to the Halley VI research station. Halley Station is a research platform of the British Antarctic Survey used to monitor the earth, atmosphere and space weather. Although the station is still located on the Brunt Ice Shelf, due to the instability of the peripheral ice shelf, the station has been moved to the Caird Coast in 2017.
The continuous loss of the Antarctic ice sheet is considered one of the clearest signals of global warming and a serious warning. In addition to causing sea level rise, coastal floods and extreme weather, the melting of the polar ice sheets will also make the earth's oceans absorb more solar radiation and further promote the increase in temperature. As stated in the IPCC's Sixth Assessment report (AR6), monitoring the polar ice sheets is crucial for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.