An iceberg nearly the size of Delaware that weighs 1 trillion tons broke off an ice shelf in Antarctica over the past few days, scientists in Britain said.
They said they’re “not aware of any link to human-induced climate change.”
The iceberg won’t contribute to sea level rise when it melts, because it’s already floating in the water like an ice cube, but its break-off could have other side effects.
"When the ice shelf goes away — when it breaks up — the ice shelf acts like a dam that slows the flow of glaciers that are flowing into that ice shelf. So as the ice shelf is removed that dam is broken and those glaciers flow faster — discharge faster — and that does contribute to sea level rise," said John Anderson, an oceanographer with Rice University who has traveled to Antarctica for research.
The iceberg is one of the largest ever recorded, and researchers will continue to monitor the effects of the break.
