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EartherEarth ScienceThe World’s Largest Iceberg Just Broke Off Antarctica
There’s a new big ‘berg floating around Antarctica. The European Space Agency said Wednesday that a huge chunk of ice had broken off from the Ronne Ice Shelf into the Weddell Sea and formed the world’s largest iceberg. When they say the world’s largest, they mean it—it’s got a 1,668 square mile (4,320 square kilometer) … Continued
By Molly Taft -
EartherClimate ChangeFirst-Ever Observations From Under Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’ Are Bad News
Glaciers all over Antarctica are in trouble as ice there rapidly melts. There’s no Antarctic glacier whose fate is more consequential for our future than the Thwaites Glacier, and new research shows that things aren’t looking good for it. Researchers have known that the Thwaites Glacier is in trouble due to encroaching warm waters, but they’d … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherNew Satellite Images Show Earth’s Latest Gigantic Iceberg
Behold A-74, an enormous iceberg that broke away from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica late last month. Here’s what we know about the new ‘berg and what could happen next. Scientists with the British Antarctic Survey reported the birth of the new iceberg on Feb. 26, which they detected with GPS equipment. Christopher Readinger, an … Continued
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EartherEarth ScienceIceberg More Than 20 Times the Size of Manhattan Breaks Off Antarctic Ice Shelf
An iceberg more than 20 times the size of Manhattan split off from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica this week because our planet is totally having a normal one. The ginormous iceberg measures roughly 490 square miles (1,270 square km) and is nearly 500 feet (150 meters) thick, according to the British Antarctic Survey. … Continued
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EartherA Huge Red Flag Just Popped Up in a Little-Studied Region of Antarctica
Glaciers in Antarctica are turning the concept of “glacial pace” on its head. A new study of a little-observed area on the continent finds that rising heat is making ice streams flow faster, which has worrisome consequences for sea level rise. The study, published this week in Nature Communications, uses a quarter century of satellite … Continued
By Molly Taft -
EartherOnce the World’s Largest Iceberg, A68a Is Now a Shattered Mess
The latest satellite imagery suggests iceberg A68a is in its death throes, as the once-colossal iceberg has deteriorated rapidly over the past week. In its prime, A68a, which detached itself from Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf in 2017, measured 2,240-square-miles (5,800 square kilometers) in size, becoming one of the biggest icebergs ever recorded. At the … Continued
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EartherThis Giant Ice Cube Represents How Much Ice We’re Losing Every Year
We talk about ice a lot here on Earther—or more specifically, the growing absence of it. A new study puts what’s happening to the planet in striking perspective. While I can tell you the results show 1.2 trillion tons of ice disappeared every year since 1994, it’s a lot easier to grasp as a visual. … Continued
By Brian Kahn
