Giant iceberg the size of St. Petersburg caught on video for the first time
Miscellaneous / / April 03, 2023
It can greatly reduce the salinity of water, making it unsuitable for many types of living organisms.
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) for the first time published video of the giant iceberg A81 that separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica in January 2023. Its area is 1,550 square kilometers, which is comparable to the territory of St. Petersburg.
On the frames of scientists, only a small part of the mass of the iceberg is recorded, but even from the air it looks like an endless sheet of paper. Hundreds more meters of ice are hidden under water, the researchers say.
Now A81 is drifting in the Weddell Sea, which is located 150 kilometers from the glacier. That is, once in free swimming, the iceberg turned around and moved south.
The negative side is that as a result of such a large-scale melting, a large amount of fresh water, which reduces salinity and makes the water unsuitable for many species of phytoplankton and their prey zooplankton. These effects can spread through the food web to fish, birds, seals and whales.
Geraint Tarling
Ecologist, Head of the Ecosystem Research Group at the British Antarctic Survey
This is the second major break in the Antarctic shelf in the last two years. In mid-May 2021, a huge block of ice separated from the Filchner-Ronne glacier, which scientists designated as A76a. It is currently the largest floating iceberg in the world. Its area is 3,200 square kilometers, twice the size of the A81.
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