Climate change is ruling the world as ice melts, fires destroy everything in their way, and icebergs are colliding. According to a recent report, an iceberg around 1.5 times the size of Greater Paris calved from Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf.
New data show how the iceberg has begun to behave strangely, risking a massive collision.
Here is what you need to know.
Iceberg A-74 is Now in Trouble: What to Expect
Iceberg A-74 posed no threat for the last six months. It remained close to the shelf it calved away from due to largely ocean currents. But now, more data reveal the unraveling truth.
Earlier this month (August), some mighty easterly winds have turned the A-74 iceberg close to the western peak of Antarctica‘s Brunt Ice Shelf. Then, it began brushing slowly against the ice shelf before moving southwards.
Thanks to radar images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, we can see the movement of the A-74 iceberg from 9 until 18 August. Check out the photo below:
“The nose-shaped piece of the ice shelf, which is even larger than A-74 remains connected to the Brunt Ice Shelf, but barely; […] we will continue to routinely monitor the situation using Sentinel satellite imagery,” explained ESA’s Mark Drinkwater.
A-74 Iceberg Key Details
As previously said, the A-74 berg is about 1.5 times the size of Greater Paris. Recently this year, the iceberg broke away from Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf, but it didn’t act oddly until now.
For decades, glaciologists have been tracking the extension and formation of the fractures, dubbed rifts, and the opening of major chasms in the 150 meters thick Brunt Ice Shelf. According to other data, Chasm 1 is one of the most significant cracks of Brunt. Currently, it is nearly parted from the more recent Halloween crack.
The radar data is indispensable because it offers pictures regardless of the seasonal darkness or the weather. So, tracking the icebergs could be done more easily.
