A massive iceberg measuring 380 square kilometres broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica last week. A report by the European Space Agency on May 23 said that this was the region's third significant iceberg calving in the past four years.

A massive iceberg measuring 380 square kilometres broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica last week. A report by the European Space Agency on May 23 said that this was the region's third significant iceberg calving in the past four years. The first such event was reported in 2021, when A-74 broke off the ice sheet, while an even larger berg named A-81 followed in 2023, the report said. The separation of this iceberg was captured by two Earth Observation satellites – the ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-1 and NASA's Landsat 8. How was the May 20 event caused? The May 20 calving event, just like its predecessors, was caused by the weakening of the ice at the McDonald Ice Rumples and the extension of the 'Halloween Crack' into the ice shelf. "This calving event results from a prolonged weakening of the ice at the McDonald Ice Rumples and progressive eastward extension of the so-called ‘Halloween Crack’ into the ice shelf," the report added. The routine monitoring of ice shelves by satellites allows scientists to track the effects of climate change in remote areas, including Antarctica. Iceberg identified as A-83 The iceberg has been officially identified as A-83 by the US National Ice Center. Antarctic icebergs are named after the Antarctic quadrant in which they were originally sighted, then a sequential number, and then, in case the iceberg breaks, a sequential letter, the ESA added. The iceberg did not threaten the British Antarctic Survey's Halley VI Research Station. The station, which is still located on the Brunt Ice Shelf, was relocated to the Caird coast in 2017 after the outer ice shelf was deemed unstable. (With inputs from agencies)

Massive iceberg in Antarctica breaks off in third major calving in last four years

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Massive iceberg in Antarctica breaks off in third major calving in last four years