Meanwhile, in Antarctica...

[backontrack]

Giant iceberg poised to break off from Antarctic shelf
Predicted to be one of the largest break-offs ever recorded, separation of iceberg could trigger breakup of most northern major ice shelf, Larsen C

A giant iceberg, with an area equivalent to Trinidad and Tobago, is poised to break off from the Antarctic shelf.

A thread of just 20km of ice is now preventing the 5,000 sq km mass from floating away, following the sudden expansion last month of a rift that has been steadily growing for more than a decade.

The iceberg, which is positioned on the most northern major ice shelf in Antarctica, known as Larsen C, is predicted to be one of the largest 10 break-offs ever recorded.

Professor Adrian Luckman, a scientist at Swansea University and leader of the UK’s Midas project, said in a statement: “After a few months of steady, incremental advance since the last event, the rift grew suddenly by a further 18km during the second half of December 2016. Only a final 20km of ice now connects an iceberg one quarter the size of Wales to its parent ice shelf.”

The separation of the iceberg “will fundamentally change the landscape of the Antarctic Peninsula” and could trigger a wider break-up of the Larsen C ice shelf, he added.

“If it doesn’t go in the next few months, I’ll be amazed,” Luckman told BBC News.

Ice shelves are vast expanses of ice floating on the sea, several hundred metres thick, at the edge of glaciers.

Scientists fear the loss of ice shelves will destabilise the frozen continent’s inland glaciers. And while the splitting off of the iceberg would not contribute to rising sea levels, the loss of glacial ice would.

Several ice shelves have cracked up around northern parts of Antarctica in recent years, including the Larsen B that disintegrated in 2002.

“We have previously shown that the new configuration will be less stable than it was prior to the rift, and that Larsen C may eventually follow the example of its neighbour Larsen B, which disintegrated in 2002 following a similar rift-induced calving event,” the Midas project website said.

I hate climate change.

 

[TheEdge]

I hate climate change.

BBC version of the article;

The researchers say that this is a geographical and not a climate event. The rift has been present for decades, they say, but it has punched through at this particular time.

It is believed that climate warming has brought forward the likely separation of the iceberg but the scientists say they have no direct evidence to support this.

Not everything is automatically climate change, calving of ice shelves is a natural thing that happens from time to time.

 

[AlterEgo]

I wonder how many penguins it'll isolate.

 

[90sWereBetter]

I heard the iceberg conducted a referendum on whether to leave Antarctica, and their equivalent of Vote Leave won. Antexit it is.

 

[Howardh]

Antexit - a thoroughly cold and miserable area floating rudderless on it's own and not allowing anyone on it to steer it on the right path.

Remind you of anything?

 

[backontrack]

Theresa May's statement on the matter was that 'iceberg means iceberg'. She also said that she wanted a 'red, white and blue iceberg', and has put Boris Johnson in charge of Frozen Affairs. Johnson says that he plans to melt down the iceberg and use it in a wet T-shirt contest.

 

[BestWestern]

Theresa May's statement on the matter was that 'iceberg means iceberg'. She also said that she wanted a 'red, white and blue iceberg', and has put Boris Johnson in charge of Frozen Affairs. Johnson says that he plans to melt down the iceberg and use it in a wet T-shirt contest.

Is he going to design a bespoke bus to operate around the iceberg?

 

[backontrack]

Is he going to design a bespoke bus to operate around the iceberg?

Indeed. There'll be a boat called 'Bloaty McBloatface', and there'll be a big red coach poised on its deck with 'We give £350m a week to the Antarctic, let's buy water cannon instead'.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Not everything is automatically climate change, calving of ice shelves is a natural thing that happens from time to time.

If final separation occurs, what will be the prevailing ocean directional flow be?

 

[AM9]

If final separation occurs, what will be the prevailing ocean directional flow be?

Probably not southbound.

 

[backontrack]

If final separation occurs, what will be the prevailing ocean directional flow be?

Whatever it is, my guess is that the iceberg will reach Brighton before the last Southern train can...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Probably not southbound.

Now then, I was being serious. Which direction, east or west, would the prevailing one.

 

[Cowley]

Now then, I was being serious. Which direction, east or west, would the prevailing one.

You should be alright where you are Paul. No need to keep a look out.

 

[Liam]

Now then, I was being serious. Which direction, east or west, would the prevailing one.

Normally you would expect a Westerly. Both wind and ocean currents generally flow clockwise around Antarctica.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Normally you would expect a Westerly. Both wind and ocean currents generally flow clockwise around Antarctica.

Thank you for that answer. I assume that if the iceberg when cast adrift, will be subjected to the severe storms in the southern oceans which will cause much degradation to it.

 

[yorksrob]

Theresa May's statement on the matter was that 'iceberg means iceberg'. She also said that she wanted a 'red, white and blue iceberg', and has put Boris Johnson in charge of Frozen Affairs. Johnson says that he plans to melt down the iceberg and use it in a wet T-shirt contest.

If Sir Winston Churchill were still in charge, there would have been a poster saying "lettuce go forward together".

 

[backontrack]

Thank you for that answer. I assume that if the iceberg when cast adrift, will be subjected to the severe storms in the southern oceans which will cause much degradation to it.

And, if it went east, it would crash into the Antarctic again.

 

[Howardh]

Whatever it is, my guess is that the iceberg will reach Brighton before the last Southern train can...

And there's more chance of a seat on the iceberg!

 

[backontrack]

And there's more chance of a seat on the iceberg!

 

[TheEdge]

Thank you for that answer. I assume that if the iceberg when cast adrift, will be subjected to the severe storms in the southern oceans which will cause much degradation to it.

The iceberg calving isn't the interesting thing here. Icebergs calve off ice shelves and glacier outflows all the time. Its the huge scale of this one when it goes and the impact on the rest of the Larsen C ice shelf. Larsen A collapsed in the mid '90s, Larsen B had a similar calving event in 2002 and is now mostly gone so the worry is that this could cause a collapse of Larsen C.

The iceberg itself probably wont go all that far. Icebreg B-15 which was of a similar size to the one that may be created didn't drift all that far over four years.

 

[backontrack]

BBC version of the article;



Not everything is automatically climate change, calving of ice shelves is a natural thing that happens from time to time.

My mistake, thought my statement is still correct.

 

[edwin_m]

Theresa May's statement on the matter was that 'iceberg means iceberg'. She also said that she wanted a 'red, white and blue iceberg', and has put Boris Johnson in charge of Frozen Affairs. Johnson says that he plans to melt down the iceberg and use it in a wet T-shirt contest.

Always thought he looked a bit like a giant penguin.

 

[backontrack]

If Sir Winston Churchill were still in charge, there would have been a poster saying "lettuce go forward together".

Class.

 

[yorksrob]

Class.

I'm 'ere all week

 

[backontrack]

Always thought he looked a bit like a giant penguin.

You mean one of those Macaroni ones?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I'm 'ere all week

Well, that's only one day now..

 

[Tracked]

Theresa May's statement on the matter was that 'iceberg means iceberg'. She also said that she wanted a 'red, white and blue iceberg', and has put Boris Johnson in charge of Frozen Affairs. Johnson says that he plans to melt down the iceberg and use it in a wet T-shirt contest.

I heard the plan was for the penguins to have their cake and eat it.

Unfortunately, the cake is frozen, and the penguin who claimed it could take up to 10 years for the cake to defrost has had to resign after being eaten by a polar bear that supports Antexit

 

[edwin_m]

I heard the plan was for the penguins to have their cake and eat it.

Unfortunately, the cake is frozen, and the penguin who claimed it could take up to 10 years for the cake to defrost has had to resign after being eaten by a polar bear that supports Antexit

The penguins' reason to support Antexit is fear of invasion by ants which must exist in Antarctica otherwise it would be called something different. So they plan to moor their iceberg alongside the Amazon rainforests, where there is no known presence of ants and as a bonus it will be a bit warmer too. Anyone who points out it will be well above freezing point is dismissed as an undercover expert.

 

[backontrack]

I heard the plan was for the penguins to have their cake and eat it.

Unfortunately, the cake is frozen, and the penguin who claimed it could take up to 10 years for the cake to defrost has had to resign after being eaten by a polar bear that supports Antexit

The penguins' reason to support Antexit is fear of invasion by ants which must exist in Antarctica otherwise it would be called something different. So they plan to moor their iceberg alongside the Amazon rainforests, where there is no known presence of ants and as a bonus it will be a bit warmer too. Anyone who points out it will be well above freezing point is dismissed as an undercover expert.

I'm laughing

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Deleted
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The penguins' reason to support Antexit is fear of invasion by ants which must exist in Antarctica otherwise it would be called something different. So they plan to moor their iceberg alongside the Amazon rainforests, where there is no known presence of ants and as a bonus it will be a bit warmer too. Anyone who points out it will be well above freezing point is dismissed as an undercover expert.

I have just been contacted by a spokesman acting for the species of army ants who wishes to confirm the existence in the Amazon rainforest region of that species variation and will invite unbelievers to lie down comfortably across their main pathway that leads to the main nest...

 

[Howardh]

I've been trying to follow it on realtimeicebergs .com but it's not showing. Has it set off yet?