A-76 Iceberg: All about the largest berg afloat in the world

As per the European Space Agency, an enormous iceberg has sheared off from the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf and is lying in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Dubbed as A-76, it is currently the largest berg afloat in the world.

Highlights:

1- The finger-shaped iceberg was spotted by the British Antarctic Survey and confirmed by the US National Ice Center using Copernicus Sentinel-1 imagery.

2- It is around 170 km long and 25 Km wide. The surface area of the A-76 iceberg is 4,320 sq km, larger than the Spanish island of Majorca (3,640 sq km).

3- It is currently lying in the Weddell Sea. 

4- A-76 surpassed the A-23A (3,380 sq km), now the second-largest in size. A-23A is also floating in the Weddell Sea. 

How are icebergs formed? 

Icebergs are formed when huge chunks of ice break off from ice shelves or glaciers and begin floating in open water. 

How are icebergs named?

Icebergs are usually named after the Antarctic quadrant in which they were originally sighted, followed by a sequential number and a sequential letter, provided it further breaks. Antarctica is divided into four quadrants-- A, B, C, and D. 

Will A-76 impact sea levels?

The ice shelf from which A-76 has sheared off was already floating on water, and hence, will not directly impact the sea levels. However, as per the  National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), ice shelves help to slow the flow of glaciers and ice streams into the sea, so the loss of parts of an ice shelf contributes indirectly to the rising seas levels. 

The world’s largest iceberg - #Iceberg #A76, calved from western side of Ronne Ice Shelf #Antarctica, measures around 4320km2 in size. The calving is considered a natural event & not attributed to climate warming: https://t.co/J7hyLpRZzP@ESA_EO @KeithMakinson1 @kaitlinnaughten pic.twitter.com/nPO0cN946V

— British Antarctic Survey (@BAS_News) May 21, 2021

Additionally, the continent of Antarctica that is warming at a faster rate than the rest of the world holds enough frozen water to raise global sea levels by 200 feet (60 meters).

Is the calving of icebergs linked with climate change?

Ted Scambos, research glaciologist at the University of Colorado was quoted by Reuters as saying that periodic calving of icebergs is a part of a natural cycle and is not linked to climate change. He stated that A-76, currently the largest berg afloat in the world, is very likely to split into two or three pieces soon. 

According to the U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center, some shelves along the Antarctic peninsula have undergone rapid disintegration in the past few years, a phenomenon scientists believe may be related to global warming.

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