The breakaway area of the glacier to be more than 6 thousand square kilometers.
Scientists have found that the rift in Antarctic glacier Larsen is increasing faster. This will lead to the emergence of one of the largest icebergs in history.
Iceberg could break away from a glacier in the next few days or weeks.
It is expected that the area of the breakaway section of the glacier to be more than 6 thousand square kilometers, about 10% of the total area of the glacier. In other words, the ice blocks will be half the size of the Transcarpathian region or with the state of Delaware.
“The iceberg remained attached to the shelf glacier, but its outer end is moving at the maximum speed ever recorded at this ice shelf,” write the researchers. According to data from the ESA satellite Sentinel-1, in the period from June 24 to June 28 break speed has tripled.
The size of the iceberg so large that it will seriously threaten navigation in the Strait of Drake, says Anna Hogue, a researcher from the University of Leeds.
The researchers tracked the growing crack in the glacier Larsen starting in 2014. In early December, 2016, the crack was approximately 112 km in length. Six weeks later, this number reached 175 km in length and continues to grow. In may, the glacier, a new crack, and the has stopped growing in length but grow in width.
The largest iceberg in history is B-15, calved in 2000 from the Ross ice shelf. Its area was 11 thousand sq km.
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