Posted on 12/05/2020 3:07:10 PM PST by BenLurkin
Britain's Royal Air Force has obtained images of what is considered the largest iceberg as it veers toward the island territory of South Georgia.
Pictures of A68a were released Friday following a reconnaissance flight of the iceberg. At roughly 93 miles long and 30 miles wide, the floe is believed to be the world's largest.
The pictures taken by British military aircraft, offering some of the closest views of the iceberg thus far, show cracks and apparently smaller chunks of ice breaking off.
In a Facebook post, British officials note that because of the iceberg's massive size, it's nearly impossible to photograph it in full with the exception of satellite imagery.
The chunk of ice cleaved off the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica in 2017 at a reported size of roughly 2,300 square miles. Researchers have noted for some weeks now that A68a has been on a collision with the island of South Georgia.
The iceberg is roughly 130 miles off the island's coast and could run aground in shallow coastal waters.
The government there said Saturday that it's keeping a close eye on the iceberg's trajectory.
Last month, the British Antarctic Survey raised the alarm on the damage the iceberg could potentially cause to wildlife if it became grounded near the island.
"Ecosystems can and will bounce back of course, but there's a danger here that if this iceberg gets stuck, it could be there for 10 years. An iceberg has massive implications for where land-based predators might be able to forage," said Geraint Tarling, an ecologist with the organization in November.
The survey notes that a large numbers of seals, whales and penguins feed off the coast of the southern Atlantic island.
Since 2017, the European Space Agency says, A68a has floated thousands of miles across the Southern Hemisphere.
If it runs into the island, it may tip it over.
hank johnson
I am astonished that they didn’t utter “climate change” explicitly, though they did go in every direction around it! I suppose if they did, they would have to acknowledge large pieces of ice still exist.
Heck, if that iceberg lasts for 10 years after it beaches, that means there would still be about two more years before Global Warming takes all of us!
Oh REALLY? Funny how that works... ecosystems... bouncing back and all.
#climatescience
In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. This is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism and includes many variables, such as body temperature and fluid balance, being kept within certain pre-set limits. Wikipedia
I think it largely works for Ecosystems too.
I’ve always believed they should haul these to Australia.
The states of Southern Australia and Western Australia are mostly desert.
Bring it up to Ceduna or Streaky Bay—let it melt in the bight and pump the fresh water to the desert. You could fill up a Great Lake-sized basin with fresh water.
They could make those deserts bloom and put the “arbor” back on the Nullabor Plain.
I’ve driven across it. Not a tree in site.
It’s all about the thinly-veiled climate hysteria with the whole Antarctic chunk. Been happening for millions of years. Will continue regardless of humans.
A new ski resort?
Those pics linked in the article don’t give justice to the size of this iceberg. I’ll take a pic from space to show the length and breadth of it.
How many poor polar bears who never learned to swim are stuck on it?
No need for the space shuttle, I'll just take my hot air balloon and go up and snap a few. And feed any unfortunate polar bears that may be stuck on that ice cube.
Squirrels collecting nuts.
World’s largest since when?
An iceberg and an ice floe and an ice shelf are all three different things, aren’t they?
I’m not sure if this NPR dude knows the answer to that question.
“I’ve always believed they should haul these to Australia.”
How do you tow something 93 miles long x 30 miles wide?
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