01/23/2023 19:44 (act. 01/23/2023 19:44)
Brocken measures about 1550 square kilometers ©APA/AFP
A huge iceberg broke off the mainland in Antarctica. As researchers from the British Antarctic Survey reported on Monday, the roughly 1,550-square-kilometer iceberg called Chasm-1 broke off on Sunday night during a flash flood. The incident is not related to climate change, the scientists said.
Two years ago, a giant iceberg of similar size broke off in the same region, the Brunt Ice Shelf. The British research station Halley VI is located on the ice shelf, from where glaciologists have observed for years the expansion of huge cracks in the ice.
The formation of icebergs is a natural process, which, however, can be accelerated considerably by global warming. Since the 19th century, Earth’s surface temperature has increased by an average of one degree – enough to cause droughts, heat waves and tropical storms.
Global warming is being felt strongly in Antarctica. As in many places on the planet, record temperatures were recorded in the region last year. In February 2022, the smallest extent of ice was recorded in Antarctica since satellite observations began 44 years ago.
The Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets contain enough frozen water to raise sea levels by a dozen meters. Many coastal towns and entire islands would become uninhabitable as a result.