World biggest iceberg (A-76) breaks off from Antarctica
Recently an iceberg has broken apart in the Antarctica continent. This phenomenon is important for scientists because this iceberg is the largest in the world so far. It has been named A-76 by scientists.
Key points
- The length of this iceberg is 170 kilometers and the width is 25 The iceberg was spotted by a satellite of the European Space Agency named Copernicus Sentinel. It is known that the Copernicus Sentinel is a planetary space with two satellites orbiting the Earth’s poles.
- This iceberg is broken and floating on the Weddell Sea. The Weddell Sea is a large bay, located in western Antarctica. The British Antarctic Survey first noticed this incident.
Impact of iceberg on sea level
- These icebergs are separated from the ice shelves of Antarctica. The ice shelf from which the A-76 broke off is called the Ronne Ice Shelf.
- Whenever an iceberg emerges from Antarctica, it raises the sea level. However, in this case the ice shelf from which this berg is broken and separated was already floating on the water.
Predecessor of A-76
- Often such incidents occur in natural form. In Antarctica, ice freezes and rises at certain intervals, breaking up into blocks, naturally. Prior to this iceberg, the A-74 iceberg originated from Antarctica. This process helps maintain ice levels in the area.
- But for some time, the water temperature of this region has increased, this increase in water temperature is affecting this natural process and increasing the rate of iceberg breakage.
Source – The Hindu
